i 


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LIBRARY ^ 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

' 


STARTLING  FACTS; 


OB, 


DEEDS  OF  DARKNESS  DISCLOSED 


RELATIVE  TO 


AURICULAE  CONFESSION, 

AND   ITS   RELATIONS  TO 

SACERDOTAL  CELIBACY,  CONVENTS,  MONASTERIES,  MORALITY, 
AND  CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY. 


EEY.  J.  G.  WHITE, 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  "PROTESTANT  MISSIONARY,"  AND  OTHER  ANTI-ROMAN 
PUBLICATIONS. 


"And  have  no  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness,  but  rather 
reprove  them" — Paul. 


CINCINNATI: 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR. 

1875. 


Entered,  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875, 

BY  J.  G.  WHITE, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PBEFACE. 


THE  present  volume  is  offered  to  the  public  as  the 
first  of  a  series  of  works  in  which  the  author  proposes 
to  expose  Romanism  and  defend  Protestantism.  This 
work  devotes  special  attention  to  Auricular  Confession, 
its  corrupting  and  intolerant  influences.  The  confessional 
is  regarded  as  the  main  pillar  of  Popery,  the  instrument 
of  a  despotic  clerical  power,  and  the  arch-key  of  the 
whole  superstructure  of  the  Papacy,  without  which  it 
would  crumble  to  the  dust. 

This  book  is  intended  to  be  an  embodiment  of  facts 
and  documentary  evidence  of  the  pernicious  influences 
of  the  confessional.  It  is  a  beacon-light  to  Avarn  Protest- 
ants against  the  seductive  influence  of  the  confessional  in 
connection  with  professed  sacerdotal  celibacy  and  convent 
life.  It  is  also  intended  to  show  that  Auricular  Confession 
degrades  and  enslaves  its  votaries,  and  that  through  it  the 
Roman  clergy  are  endeavoring  to  subvert  and  destroy  the 
principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  throughout  the 
world ;  and  that  their  energies  are  especially  concen- 
trated against  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 


4  PREFACE. 

with  a  determination  to  destroy  it,  and  on  its  ruins 
establish  a  Papal  despotism. 

This  book  was  written  in  the  midst  of  numerous  and 
pressing  professional  engagements;  and  if  it  does  not 
possess  variety,  it  should  not  be  attributed  to  the  monot- 
ony of  surrounding  circumstances.  It  has  been  written 
while  traveling  thousands  of  miles,  and  at  intervals  be- 
tween lectures,  at  hotels,  between  sermons,  at  protracted 
meetings,  when  often  surrounded  by  the  domestic  circle, 
and  occasionally  at  home,  when  resting  from  the  fatigues 
of  a  journey,  and  at  all  hours  of  day  and  night.  The  nu- 
merous references  to  authorities  has  required  the  contin- 
ued presence  of  a  small  select  traveling  library  of  Roman 
books.  We  submit  the  work  to  the  careful  consideration 
of  a  generous  American  people,  conscious  that,  while  its 
style  may  be  subject  to  criticism,  it  contains  important 
facts  which  challenge  investigation. 

Frequent  abortive  efforts  have  been  made  by  Ro- 
manists to  assassinate  the  author,  and  he  has  the  positive 
evidence  that  they  intend  to  take  his  life.  He  therefore 
puts  these  facts  in  form  to  speak  for  themselves ;  and, 
if  he  falls  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  he  will  fa.ll  in 
defense  of  outraged  and  insulted  virtue;  and  full  fearlessly 
at  his  post,  battling  for  virtue,  for  liberty,  for  truth,  for 
the  right,  for  the  salvation  of  man,  and  for  the  honor 

of  God. 

THE  AUTHOR 

JACKSONVILLE,  ILL.,  Feb.  1,  1875. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTORY,  .  \  7 


CHAPTER  II. 
AURICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED, 12 

CHAPTER  III. 
AURICULAR  CONFESSION  FURTHER  DEFINED,        ...      26 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  SEAL  OF  SACRAMENTAL  CONFESSION,    ....      33 

CHAPTER  Y. 
THE  CONFESSIONAL, 52 

CHAPTER  VI. 
SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL, 63 

CHAPTER  VII. 
POWER  OF  THE  KEYS, 76 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  CLERGY  AND  CONCUBINES, 90 

5 


6  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTEE  IX. 
CLERICAL  SEDUCTION,  HOW  CONCEALED,       ....      99 

CHAPTER  X. 
CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL, 109 

CHAPTEE  XI. 
CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL,  CONTINUED,          .        .    115 

CHAPTEE  XII. 
CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL,  CONTINUED,          .        .    134 

CHAPTEE  XIII. 
THE  CONFESSIONAL  A  THIEF-TRAP 143 

CHAPTEE  XIY. 
THE  CONFESSIONAL  ENSLAVES  MEN,     .....    149 

CHAPTEE  XT. 
PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL,        .        .        .    156 

CHAPTEE  XVI. 
PRISON-PENS  FOR  AMERICAN  DAUGHTERS,    ....    170 

CHAPTEE  XVII. 
PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED  THROUGH  THE  CONFESSIONAL,     .     174 

CHAPTEE  XVIII. 
EOMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED  THROUGH  THE  CONFESSIONAL,  209 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  I. 
I NTRODUCTORY. 

FTTHE  intolerant,  despotic  power  of  the  Church  of 
-*-  Rome  over  the  souls  and  bodies  of  men  is  main- 
tained by  the  direct  influence  of  the  confessional.  The 
crime  and  licentiousness  of  cities  and  nations  has  been, 
and  is  now,  in  proportion  to  the  unrestrained  influence  of 
the  confessional.  Civil  and  religious  liberty  struggle  in 
vain  for  existence  where  its  obligations  are  universally 
recognized.  It  therefore  becomes  the  duty  of  all  true 
patriots  to  investigate  the  principles  of  an  institution, 
the  influence  of  which  is  evil,  and  only  evil,  continually. 
To  comprehend  the  moral  degradation  and  abject 
servitude  which  result  from  the  Romish  Confessional,  it 
is  necessary,  first,  to  understand  its  principles,  its  obli- 
gations, its  practices,  and  its  legitimate  results.  Such 
is  the  nature  of  the  subject,  and  such  are  the  facts  con- 
nected with  its  investigation,  that  a  regard  for  decency 
precludes  the  possibility  of  full  disclosures. 


8  AURICULAR  COXFESSIOX  EXPOSED. 

To  form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  horrible  corruption 
of  the  confessional,  reference  must  be  had  to  the  secret 
theology  and  ritual  of  the  Roman  clergy,  much  of  which 
should  not  be  translated,  nor  published  for  promiscuous 
readers.  In  this  work  we  can  only  coast  along  the  shore 
of  a  boundless  ocean  of  filth.  We  dare  not  disturb  the 
scum  of  its  smallest  adjacent  cesspool.  Its  exhalations 
are  infected  with  moral  pestilence;  and  protracted  con- 
tact with  its  poisoned  waters  often  results  in  eternal 
death. 

The  necessity  for  Auricular  Confession  is  predicated 
on  the  false  and  blasphemous  assumption  of  the  Homan 
clergy,  who  arrogate  to  themselves  the  titles  of  vice- 
gerents and  vicars  of  Jesus  Christ,  possessed  of  judicial 
power  as  God  to  forgive  or  retain  sin,  and  to  save  or 
damn  the  souls  of  men  at  pleasure.  And  so  absolute  is 
this  power  that  if  a  priest,  in  confession,  refuse  to  par- 
don a  penitent,  Jesus  Christ  himself  can  not  do  it. 

Notwithstanding  this  blasphemous  assumption  of 
power,  priests  are  compelled  to  admit  that  they  do  not 
possess  all  the  attributes  of  God ;  they  are  not  omnis- 
cient nor  omnipresent;  and  they  are  chiefly  dependent 
on  the  extorted  confessions  of  transgressors  for  their 
knowledge  of  sins  committed.  Under  these  circum- 
stances they  are  as  liable  to  be  mistaken,  deceived,  and 
imposed  upon,  as  other  men.  When  confession  is  made, 
the  priest  does  not  know  whether  it  is  true  or  false,  par- 
tial or  thorough,  feigned  or  sincere.  And  the  penitent, 
if  sincere,  does  not  know  whether  he  has  confessed  all, 


INTRODUCTORY.  9 

or  forgotten  a  part  of  his  sins.  And  if  the  penitent  is 
sincere,  and  is  sure  that  he  has  confessed  all  mortal  sins, 
and  the  priest  has  pronounced  absolution  in  the  usual 
form,  the  penitent  does  not  know  that  the  priest  had  the 
requisite  intention,  without  which  his  pretended  absolu- 
tion is  a  blasphemous  ecclesiastical  farce. 

In  order  to  expedite  this  difficult  work  of  Romish 
pardon  and  salvation,  the  clergy  have  instituted  Auricu- 
lar Confession,  which  will  receive  attention  in  the  follow- 
ing pages.  This  book  is  intended  to  meet  the  wants  of 
the  general  reader,  which  fact  will  preclude  the  possibil- 
ity of  extended  quotations  from  the  corrupt,  secret,  Latin 
theology  of  the  Roman  clergy.  The  most  chaste  ex- 
tracts are  only  admissible  in  consideration  of  correcting 
or  preventing  the  evil  influence.  Ministers  and  men  of 
age  are  referred  to  the  original,  which  are  before  us,  and 
can  not  be  successfully  denied  nor  defended. 

Auricular  Confession,  in  the  hands  of  the  Roman 
clergy,  is  the  masterpiece  of  the  devil's  workmanship,  the 
arch-key  of  the  whole  superstructure  of  clerical  power. 
Strike  down  the  confessional,  and  professed  sacerdotal 
celibacy  will  be  discarded,  convent  life  will  lose  many  of 
its  attractions,  "foundling  institutions"  will  be  less  pat- 
ronized, and  "  Magdalene  institutions  "  and  houses  of  the 
" Good  Shepherd"  will  be  less  in  demand  for  clerical  pros- 
titutes. Abolish  the  confessional,  and  the  clerical  'power 
of  Rome  will  vanish  with  it,  and  millions  who  are  now 
crushed  by  Popish  despotism,  will  enjoy  civil  and  re- 
ligious liberty.  No  class  of  men  understand  these  facts 


10  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

better  than  the  Roman  clergy;  and  hence  their  fury 
when  these  secret  abominations  are  exposed. 

We  have  had  much  experience  on  this  subject.  Re- 
peated mob  violence,  and  efforts  at  assassination,  have 
been  employed  in  vain  to  suppress  the  facts.  The  truth 
must  and  shall  be  proclaimed.  The  abominations  of  the 
confessional  shall  be  exposed  till  it$  corrupting  influences 
are  understood,  and  until  it  shall  be  declared  a  nuisance, 
and  suppressed  by  legal  enactments.  If  there  is  a  law 
in  the  land  for  the  suppression  of  brothels,  it  might,  Avith 
equal  propriety,  be  enforced  also  against  this  prolific 
source  of  licentiousness. 

Let  Protestant  parents  understand  the  relation  which 
priests  sustain  to  nuns  in  the  confessional,  and  they  will 
cease  to  patronize  convents.  Let  husbands  understand 
the  libidinous  questions  which  bachelor  priests  are  au- 
thorized to  propound  to  their  wives  in  confession,  and 
their  just  indignation  will  demand  redress.  Let  the 
people  understand  that  the  Roman  clergy  are  the  trucu- 
lent minions  of  an  ecclesiastical  despot,  and  that  through 
the  confessional  they  are  prostituting  virtue,  corrupting 
society,  and  endeavoring  to  subvert  the  institutions  of 
the  nation,  and  enlightened  public  sentiment  will  consign 
the  confessional  to  merited  infamy. 

We  are  impelled  to  the  publication  of  this  work  by 
the  fact  that  Protestants  generally  have  no  just  concep- 
tion of  the  "  mystery  of  iniquity  "  now  practiced  in  our 
midst  by  the  "  mother  of  harlots."  Also,  from  the  fact 
that  common  decency  will  forever  preclude  the  possibility 


INTRODUCTORY.  11 

of  disclosing  the  worst  to  a  select  company  of  men,  much 
less  in  a  work  for  general  readers. 

The  well-being  of  society  demands  that  sufficient  light 
be  shed  on  this  most  detestable  system  of  darkness  to 
guard  the  unsuspecting  against  its  seductive  influences. 

This  work  is  intended  to  arrest  attention,  and  disclose 
such  facts  as  may  be  prudently  presented  to  the  general 
reader,  with  the  hope  that  men  of  mature  years,  and 
especially  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  may  be  induced  to 
examine  more  thoroughly  this  prolific  source  of  licen- 
tiousness, which  is  subverting  the  virtue  of  youth,  and 
jeopardizing  the  souls  of  millions.  We  predicate  our 
statements  on  books  and  documents  before  us  which  chal- 
lenge investigation,  and  we  defiantly  hurl  the  facts  in 
the  face  of  the  Roman  clergy.  Such  a  system  of  un- 
blushing licentiousness  shall  not  escape  merited  rebuke 
and  public  exposure. 

Trusting  for  success  to  the  justness  of  our  cause,  and 
to  that  power  which  guided  the  sling  of  David,  we  hurl 
this  pebble  of  truth  at  the  brazen  pate  of  the  "  man  of 
sin,"  and  pray  God  to  smite  him  to  the  dust. 


12  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  H. 

AURICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED. 

A  URICTJLAR  Confession  is  a  modern  invention,  a 
•^r-  device  of  wicked  men,  and  a  prolific  source  of 
crime  and  licentiousness.  It  is  not  authorized  in  the 
Word  of  God,  nor  sanctioned  by  common  sense.  It  was 
not  known  to  Moses  nor  the  prophets,  and  it  was  not 
taught  by  Jesus  Christ,  nor  by  his  apostles.  It  origi- 
nated in  ignorance  and  superstition,  and  can  only  be  per- 
petuated by  this  influence.  Auricular  Confession  is 
literally  confession  in  the  ear  of  a  priest  in  order  to  ob- 
tain judicial  absolution  from  all  mortal  sins  committed 
after  baptism.  Roman  theology  teaches  that  baptism 
pardons  original  sin,  and  that  the  Roman  clergy,  by  the 
"  power  of  the  keys,"  grant  judicial  pardon  as  God,  for 
all  mortal  sins  committed  by  their  faithful  after  baptism, 
and  is  thus  defined :  "  Confession,  then,  is  defined  a 
sacramental  accusation  of  one's  self,  made  to  obtain 
pardon  by  virtue  of  the  keys."  (Catechism  of  Trent, 
p.  191.) 

Previous  to  the  Lateran  Council,  A.  D.  1215,  the 
confession  of  sin  was  an  optional  thing  in  the  Church  of 
Rome.  In  the  midnight  darkness  of  the  world  it  had 
increasing  popularity  for  two  centuries.  The  flagrant 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  13 

licentiousness  of  bishops  and  popes  of  this  period  de- 
manded secrecy,  or  otherwise  the  entire  suspension  of 
confession  in  any  form.  Confession  to  God,  and  public 
confession  in  presence  of  the  Church,  had  been  long 
practiced ;  but  the  debauchery  of  the  clergy  and  popes, 
and  consequent  corruption  of  the  people,  brought  pub- 
lic confession  into  disrepute  and  furnished  strong  induce- 
ments to  conceal  vice. 

Confession  had  been  recommended ;  but  it  had  no 
sovereign  sanctions  to  enforce  it,  no  canon  or  bull  to 
compel  it  throughout  the  Roman  Church  previous  to 
A.  D.  1215,  and  the  new  dogma  was  not  confirmed  till 
the  Council  of  Trent  in  its  fourteenth  session,  A.  D. 
1557,  the  canons  of  which  clearly  defined  the  doctrine, 
as  follows : 

"  CANON  1.  Whoever  shall  affirm  that  penance,  as  used  in 
the  Catholic  Church,  is  not  truly  and  properly  a  sacrament, 
instituted  by  Christ  our  Lord,  for  the  benefit  of  the  faithful,  to 
reconcile  them  to  God,  as  often  as  they  shall  fall  into  sin  after 
baptism,  LET  HIM  BE  ACCURSED." 

"CANON  3.  Whoever  shall  affirm  that  the  words  of  the  Lord 
our  Saviour,  'Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost;  whose  sins  you  shall 
forgive  they  are  forgiven  thorn,  and  whose  sins  you  shall  re- 
tain they  are  retained  ;'  are  not  to  be  understood  of  the  power 
of  forgiving  and  retaining  sins  in  the  sacrament  of  penance, 
as  the  Catholic  Church  has  always  from  the  very  first  under- 
stood them  ;  but  shall  restrict  them  to  the  authority  of  preach- 
ing the  Gospel,  in  opposition  to  the  institution  of  this  sacra- 
ment, LET  HIM  BE  ACCURSED." 

"  CANON  6.  Whoever  shall  deny  that  sacramental  confession  was 
instituted  by  Divine  command,  or  that  it  is  necessary  to  salva- 
tion;  or  shall  affirm  that  the  practice  of  secretly  confessing  to  the 
priest  alone,  as  it  has  been  ever  observed  from  the  beginning 
by  the  Catholic  Church,  and  is  still  observed,  is  foreign  to  the 


14  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

institution  and  command  of  Christ,  and  is  a  human  invention, 
LET  HIM  BE  ACCUESED." 

"  CANON  7.  Whoever  shall  affirm  that,  in  order  to  obtain  for- 
giveness of  sins  in  the  sacrament  of  penance,  it  is  not  by  Di- 
vino  command  necessary  to  confess  all  and  ever}'  mortal  sin 
which  occurs  to  the  memory  after  due  and  diligent  premedita- 
tion, including  secret  offenses,  etc.,  LET  HIM  BE  ACCUESED." 

"CANON  8.  Whoever  shall  affirm  that  the  confession  of  every 
sin,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Church,  is  impossible  and 
merely  a  human  tradition,  which  the  pious  should  reject;  or 
that  all  Christians,  of  both  sexes,  are  not  bound  to  observe  the  same 
once  a  year,  according  to  the  constitution  of  the  great  Council 
of  Lateran,  and  therefore  that  the  faithful  in  Christ  are  to  be 
persuaded  not  to  confess  in  Lent,  LET  HIM  BE  ACCUESED." 

"CANON  9.  Whoever  shall  affirm  that  the  priest's  sacramen- 
tal absolution  is  not  a  judicial  act,  but  only  a  ministry,  to  pro- 
nounce and  declare  that  the  sins  of  the  party  confessing  are 
forgiven,  so  that  he  believes  himself  to  be  absolved,  even 
though  the  priest  should  not  absolve  seriously,  but  in  jest;  or 
shall  affirm  that  the  confession  of  the  penitent  is  not  necessary 
in  order  to  obtain  absolution  from  the  priest,  LET  HIM  BE 
ACCUESED." 

These  are  only  a  portion  of  the  canons  which  define 
Auricular  Confession.  In  conformity  to  the  above  de- 
crees, Pope  Pius  V.  approved  the  Catechism  of  Trent  as 
the  infallible  exponent  of  canon  law,  and  it  is  now  so 
regarded.  The  Bible  itself  is  required  to  conform  to  its 
teaching.  On  page  190  we  have  the  following,  as  trans- 
lated into  English  by  Rev.  J.  Donovan,  Professor,  etc., 
Royal  College,  Maynooth  : 

"Contrition,  it  is  true,  blots  out  sin;  but  who  is  ignorant, 
that  to  effect  this,  it  must  be  so  intense,  so  ardent,  so  vehement, 
as  to  bear  a  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of  the  crimes  which 
it  effaces?  This  is  a  degree  of  contrition  which  few  reach,  and 
hence,  through  perfect  contrition  alone  very  few  indeed  could 
hope  to  obtain  the  pardon  of  their  sins.  It  therefore  became 


AURICULAE  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  15 

necessary  that  the  Almighty,  in  his  mercy,  should  afford  a  less 
precarious  and  less  difficult  means  of  reconciliation  and  of  sal- 
vation;  and  this  he  has  done,  in  his  admirable  wisdom,  by 
giving  to  his  Church  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Ac- 
cording to  the  doctrine  of  ihe  Catholic  Church,  a  doctrine 
firmly  to  be  believed  and  professed  by  all  her  children,  if  the 
sinner  have  recourse  to  the  tribunal  of  penance  with  a  sincere 
sorrow  for  his  sins,  and  a  firm  resolution  of  avoiding  them  in 
future,  although  he  bring  not  with  him  that  contrition  which 
may  be  sufficient  of  itself  to  obtain  pardon  of  sin,  his  sins  are 
forgiven  by  the  minister  of  religion,  through  the  power  of 
the  keys.  Justly,  then,  do  the  holy  fathers  proclaim  that  by 
the  keys  of  the  Church  the  gate  of  heaven  is  thrown  open; 
a  truth  which  the  decree  of  the  Council  of  Florence,  declaring 
that  the  effect  of  penance  is  absolution  from  sin,  renders  it 
imperative  on  all  unhesitatingly  to  believe." 

Again,  on  page  192  : 

"Invested,  then,  as  they  are,  evidently  appointed  judges  of 
the  matter  on  which  they  are  to  pronounce;  and  as,  according 
to  the  wise  admonition  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  we  can  not  form 
an  accurate  judgment  on  any  matter,  or  award  to  crime  a  just 
proportion  of  punishment,  without  having  previously  examined 
and  made  ourselves  acquainted  witli  the  cause;  hence,  arises  a 
necessity,  on  the  part  of  the  penitent,  of  making  known  to  the 
priest,  through  the  medium  of  confession,  each  and  every  sin. 
This  doctrine,  a  doctrine  defined  by  the  holy  S}"nod  of  Trent, 
the  uniform  doctrine  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the  pastor  will 
teach.  .  .  .  When,  with  uncovered  head  and  bended  knees, 
with  eyes  fixed  on  the  earth,  and  hands  raised  in  supplication 
to  heaven,  and  with  other  indications  of  Christian  humility  not 
essential  to  the  sacrament,  we  confess  our  sins;  our  minds  are 
thus  deeply  impressed  with  the  clear  conviction  of  the  heavenly 
virtue  of  the  sacraments,  and  also  of  the  necessity  of  humbly 
imploring  and  earnestly  importuning  the  mercy  of  God. 
To  obtain  admittance  into  any  place,  the  concur- 
rence of  him  to  whom  the  keys  have  been  committed  is  neces- 
sary;  and  therefore,  as  the  metaphor  implies,  to  gain  admission 
into  heaven,  its  gates  must  be  opened  to  us  by  the  power  of  the 
keys,  confided  by  Almighty  God  to  the  care  of  his  Church. 


16  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

"This  power  should  otherwise  be  nugatory:  if  heaven  can 
be  entered  without  the  power  of  the  keys,  in  vain  shall  they  to 
whose  fidelity  they  have  been  intrusted,  assume  the  prerogative 
of  prohibiting  indiscriminate  entrance  within  its  portals." 

Again,  on  page  193  : 

"According  to  the  Council  of  Lateran,  which  begins  '  Omnis 
utriusque  sexus,'  no  person  is  bound  by  the  law  of  confession 
until  he  has  arrived  at  the  use  of  reason,  a  time  determinable 
by  no  fixed  number  of  years.  It  may,  however,  be  laid  down 
as  a  general  principle,  that  children  are  bound  to  go  to  confes- 
sion as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  discern  good  from  evil,  and  are 
capable  of  malice;  for  when  arrived  at  an  age  to  attend  to  the 
work  of  salvation,  every  one  is  bound  to  have  recourse  to  the 
tribunal  of  penance,  without  which  the  sinner  can  not  hope 
for  salvation.  In  the  same  cnnon  the  Church  has  defined  the 
period,  within  which  we  are  bound  to  discharge  the  duty  of 
confession:  it  commands  all  the  faithful  to  confess  their  sins  at 
least  once  a  year.  If,  however,  we  consult  for  our  eternal  inter- 
ests, we  will  certain  I}'  not  neglect  to  have  recourse  to  confession 
as  often,  at  least,  as  we  are  in  danger  of  death,  or  undertake  to 
perform  any  act  incompatible  with  the  state  of  sin,  such  as  to 
administer  or  receive  the  sacraments." 

Again,  on  page  194  : 

"  All  mortal  sins  must  be  revealed  to  the  minister  of  religion  ; 
venial  sins,  which  do  not  separate  us  from  the  grace  of  God. 
and  into  which  we  frequently  fall,  although,  as  the  experience 
of  the  pious  proves,  proper  and  profitable  to  be  confessed,  may 
be  omitted  without  sin,  and  expiated  by  a  variety  of  other 
means.  Mortal  sins,  as  we  have  already  said,  although  buried 
in  the  darkest  secrec}*,  and  also  sins  of  desire  only,  such  as  are 
forbidden  by  the  Ninth  and  Tenth  Commandments,  are  all  and 
each  of  them  to  be  made  a  matter  of  confession.  Such  secret 
sins  often  inflict  deeper  wounds  on  the  soul  than  those  which 
are  committed  openly  and  publicly.  .  .  .  Some  circum- 
stances are  such  as,  of  themselves,  to  constitute  mortal  guilt; 
on  no  account  or  occasion  whatever,  therefore,  are  such  circum- 
stances to  be  omitted.  Has  any  one  imbrued  his  hands  in  the 
blood  of  his  fellow-man?  He  must  state  whether  his  victim 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  17 

was  a  layman  or  an  ecclesiastic.  Has  he  had  criminal  inter- 
course with  any  one?  He  must  state  whether  the  female  was 
married  or  unmarried,  a  relative,  or  a  person  consecrated  to  God 
by  vow." 

THE  PRIEST  FORGIVES  ALL  SORTS  OF  SINS. 

Again,  on  page  196  : 

"  But  in  case  of  imminent  danger  of  death,  when  recourse  can 
not  be  had  to  the  proper  priest,  that  none  may  perish,  the 
Council  of  Trent  teaches,  that,  according  to  the  ancient  prac- 
tice of  the  Church  of  God,  it  is  then  lawful  for  any  priest  not 
only  to  remit  all  sorts  of  sins,  whatever  faculties  they  might 
otherwise  require,  but  also  to  absolve  from  excommunication." 

These  extracts  from  canons  and  the  Catechism  of  the 
Council  of  Trent  may  be  examined  with  care,  as  we  shall 
presently  have  use  for  them.  It  may  also  be  observed 
that  while  the  priest  may  be  in  flagrant  violation  of  the 
Seventh  Commandment  of  the  decalogue — Sixth  of  the 
Douay  Bible — he  professes  to  have  power  to  absolve  his 
accomplice  in  crime  from  all  other  sins^  and  in  case  of 
danger  of  death  from  that  sin.  also.  This  last  fact  will 
receive  attention  in  subsequent  pages. 

All  the  approved  theology  of  the  Roman  Church,  and 
all  public  and  private  instruction,  is  required  to  conform 
strictly  to  the  teaching  of  the  Council  of  Trent.  This 
fact  will  be  more  apparent  by  reference  to  the  catechisms 
and  manuals  in  the  hands  of  the  laity  and  the  secret 
theology  for  the  instruction  of  the  clergy. 

We  here  introduce  extracts  from  the  common  cate- 
chisms and  other  books  in  general  use  throughout  the 
United  States,  with  the  approbation  of  the  bishops. 


18  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

POOR  MAN'S  CATECHISM. 

On  page  140,  we  find  the  following : 

"THE  THIRD  PRECEPT  OP  THE  CHURCH  EXPOUNDED. 

"  Q.  What  is  the  third  precept  of  the  Church  ? 

"  A.    To  confess  our  sins  to  our  pastor  at  least  once  a  year. 

"  Q.   Why  was  this  commanded? 

11  A.  Because  libertines  would  not  otherwise  have  done  it 
once  in  many  years. 

"INSTRUCTION. — This  precept  is  contained  in  a  canon  of  the 
fourth  Council  of  Lateran,  under  Innocent  the  Third,  held  in 
the  year  of  our  Lord  1215,  which  was  confirmed  by  the  Council 
of  Trent,  Sess.  xiv.,  c.  v.,  and  can.  8,  whereby  all  the  faithful, 
of  both  sexes,  are  strictly  enjoined  to  confess  their  sins  to  their 
proper  pastor  once  in  a  year  at  least;  and  to  receive  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  holy  Eucharist  at  Easter,  as  soon  as  the}"  come  to 
years  of  discretion  sufficient  for  each  sacrament.  This  precept, 
then,  begins  to  bind  us  as  soon  as  we  begin  to  have  the  full  use 
of  reason,  so  as  to  commit  mortal  sin,  and  to  be  capable  of  the 
sacrament,  which,  in  some,  is  sooner,  in  some  later.  The  Church 
does  not  particularly  prescribe  the  time  of  the  year  when  we 
ought  to  confess ;  yet,  as  we  are  obliged  to  communicate  at 
Easter,  which  can  not  be  rightly  done  in  a  state  of  sin,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  all  those  who,  at  that  time,  are  in  mortal  s.in  are  ob- 
liged then  to  confess. 

"  Though  the  precept  of  the  Church  obliges  us  to  confess  but 
once  a  year  to  restrain  libertines,  yet  many  circumstances  may 
occur,  in  which,  by  the  divine  precept,  we  are  obliged  to  confess 
oftener.  1.  In  all  dangers  of  life,  as  when  dangerously  sick,  or 
condemned  to  die,  or  when  soldiers  are  to  go  to  battle,  or  mer- 
chants to  go  a  hazardous  voyage,  and  are  conscious  of  any  mortal 
sin  to  themselves;  in  such  dangers  (life  so  uncertain),  they  are 
bound  to  confession  ;  because,  in  all  perils  of  life,  we  are  bound 
to  prepare  ourselves  for  death.  Ought  any  one  that  knows 
himself  to  be  in  a  bad  state,  considering  the  uncertainty  of  life, 
run  the  risk  of  a  delay?  2.  Before  we  receive  the  other  sacra- 
ments, if  guilty  of  mortal  sin,  we  are  bound,  first,  to  confess; 
because  such  sin  is  opposite  to  divine  grace,  and  must,  of 


A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  1 9 

necessity,  hinder  the  blessed  effect  of  the  sacraments  we  receive, 
baptism  excepted ;  for  baptism  being  the  first  sacrament,  by  it 
we  must  be  made  Christians  before  we  can  receive  any  of  the 
Christian  sacraments;  therefore,  sacramental  confession  is  not 
required  before  baptism,  but  only  contrition  in  adult  persons. 
Neither  does  every  sort  of  confession  satisfy  our  obligation ;  but 
we  are  to  make  a  true  and  entire  confession,  which  can  not  be 
done  without  a  previous  and  careful  examen  of  our  life  and 
conscience." 

Bishop  Butler's  Catechism,  which  is  approved  and 
in  use  on  both  continents,  contains  the  following,  on 
page  41 : 

"  Q.  What  means  the  commandment  of  confessing  our  sins 
at  least  once  a  year? 

"A.  It  means. that  we  are  threatened  with  very  severe  pen- 
alties by  the  Church  if  we  do  not  go  to  confession  within  the 
year. 

"  Q.  Does  a  bad  confession  satisfy  the  obligation  of  confess- 
ing our  sins  once  a  year? 

"J..  So  far  from  it  that  it  renders  us  more  guilty  by  the 
additional  crime  of  sacrilege. 

"  Q.   Is  it  sufficient  to  go  but  once  a  year  to  confession? 

"  A.  No;  frequent  confession  is  necessary  fou  all  those  who 
fall  into  mortal  sin,  or  who  desire  to  advance  in  virtue. 

"  Q.   At  what  age  are  children  obliged  to  go  to  confession? 

"  A.  As  soon  as  they  are  capable  of  committing  sin  ;  that  is, 
when  they  come  to  the  use  of  reason,  which  is  generally  sup- 
posed to  be  about  the  age  of  seven  years." 

Thus  the  obligation  binds  all,  beginning  with  children 
seven  years  of  age.  And  to  this  agrees  the  Catechism 
of  Trent,  and  numerous  other  catechisms  published  by 
bishops  on  both  continents. 

A  general  catechism  for  the  use  of  Romanists  in  the 
United  States,  and  "approved  by  the  Most  Rev.  John 


20  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Hughes,  D.  D.,  Archbishop  of  New  York,"  contains,  on 
pnge  41,  the  following: 

"  Q.   What  is  confession  ? 

"A.  Confession  is  to  accuse  ourselves  of  all  our  sins  to  a 
priest,  in  order  to  obtain  'absolution. 

"  Q.   How  must  we  declare  our  sins? 

"A.  "We  must  declare  the  number  of  our  sins,  and  their 
different  kinds. 

"  Q.   Must  we  declare  all  our  sins? 

"A.  We  must  declare  all  our  mortal  sins;  for,  if  we  were 
to  conceal  willfully  any  mortal  sin,  we  should  not  obtain  the 
forgiveness  of  any,  and  we  should  besides  commit  a  sacrilege. 

"  Q.  What  must  we  do  to  obtain  an  exact  knowledge  of  all 
our  sins? 

"A.  We  must  carefully  examine  our  consciences  upon  the 
commandments  of  God  and  of  the  Church,  and  see  in  what  we 
have  sinned  upon  each  of  these  commandments. 

"  Q.  In  what  sentiments  should  we  present  ourselves  before 
the  priest,  when  we  are  going  to  confession? 

"A.  We  should  kneel,  and  begin  our  confession  as  criminals 
who  implore  the  mercy  of  God,  viewing  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
person  of  the  priest." 

Again,  page  43  : 

"  Q.   How  ought  we  to  accuse  ourselves  of  our  sins? 

"A.  We  ought  to  accuse  ourselves  of  our  sins  with  much 
sincerity  and  humility,  and  begin  by  those  we  have  most  diffi- 
culty in  declaring. 

"  Q.  What  should  we  do  when  the  confessor  puts  us 
questions? 

"A.  We  should  answer  the  questions  of  the  confessor  clearly 
and  with  simplicity 

"  Q.  What  should  we  do  when  we  have  finished  declaring 
our  faults? 

"A.  After  telling  our  sins,  we  should  finish  the  Confiteor, 
2  confess  to  Almighty  God,  etc. ;  then  listen  with  attention  to 
the  advice  which  the  confessor  may  think  proper  to  give. 

"  Q-  What  ought  we  to  do  whilst  the  priest  is  giving 
absolution  ? 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  21 

"  A.  "Whilst  the  priest  is  giving  the  absolution,  we  ought 
humbly  to  bow  down  our  heads  and  renew  our  act  of  contrition 
with  all  the  fervor  we  are  capable  of. 

"  Q.    What  is  absolution? 

"A.  Absolution  is  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins,  which  the 
priest  imparts  in  virtu«e  of  the  power  he  has  received  from 
Christ. 

"  Q.   Can  all  priests  exercise  this  power? 

"A.  Only  such  priests  as  are  approved  of  by  the  bishop  can 
give  absolution." 

Bishop  David's  Catechism  has  had  a  wide  circulation 
in  Kentucky  and  adjacent  States  nearly  forty  years,  and 
the  late  edition  contains  the  following — pages  103-105  : 

"LESSON  XIX. 
"  OF   CONFESSION. 

"  Q.   What  is  confession? 

"A.  Confession  is  the  declaring  of  all  our  sins  to  a  priest 
duly  authorized,  in  order  to  receive  absolution. 

"  Q.  Is  confession  necessary  to  obtain  the  forgiveness  of 
our  sins? 

"  A.  Yes ;  confession  is  necessary  to  obtain  the  forgiveness 
of  all  mortal  sins  committed  after  baptism. 

"  Q.   When  did  our  Savior  command  it? 

"A.  Our  Savior  enjoined  the  confession  of  sins,  when  he 
gave  to  his  apostles  the  power  of  forgiving  and  of  retaining 
them. 

"  Q.   How  do  you  show  this? 

"  A.  Because  they  could  not  know  what  sins  to  forgive,  and 
what  sins  to  retain,  if  they  were  not  declared  to  them. 

"  Q.  Has  confession  been  the  constant  practice  of  the  Church 
in  all  ages? 

"A.  Yes;  the  faithful  of  all  ages  have  had  recourse  to  con- 
fession, to  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins. 

"  Q.   Can  nothing  excuse  from  that  obligation? 

t:  A.  Nothing,  but  impossibility,  can  excuse  from  confessing 
mortal  sins. 

"  Q.   What  must  be  the  qualities  of  our  confession  ? 


22  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

"A.  Confession,  to  be  good,  must  have  these  three  qualities; 
it  must  be  humble,  sincere,  and  entire. 

"  Q.   How  is  it  humble  f 

"A.  We  must  declare  our  sins  with  sorrow  and  repentance, 
seeking  no  excuse. 

"  Q.   How  ia  it  sincere? 

"A.  We  must  declare  our  sins  as  we  know  them,  without 
making  them  greater  or  lesser  than  they  are. 

"  Q.   How  is  it  entire  f 

"  A.  We  must  declare  at  least  all  our  mortal  sins  which  we 
remember,  after  a  due  examination. 

"  Q.  Is  it  enough  to  tell  the  different  kinds  of  sins  we  have 
committed  ? 

"A.  No ;  we  must  also  tell  the  number  as  nearly  as  we  can, 
and  the  chief  circumstances  that  may  increase  our  guilt. 

"  Q.  What  if  one  would  have  no  sorrow  for  his  sins,  or 
would  conceal  a  mortal  sin  in  confession? 

"A.  He  would,  in  both  cases,  commit  a  great  crime,  by 
telling  a  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  make  his  confession  invalid 
and  worth  nothing. 

"  Q.  What  must  be  done  by  those  who,  either  from  negligent 
examination,  or  by  concealing  their  sins,  or  for  want  of  con- 
trition, have  made  an  invalid  confession? 

"  A.   They,  must,— 

''1.  Make  over  again  that  confession,  and  all  those  which 
have  followed  it. 

"2.  Accuse  themselves  of  all  the  sacrilegious  receptions  of 
communion  and  other  sacraments. 

"3.  Do  penance  for  them. 

"  Q.  Are  there  not  occasions  in  which  a  general  confession 
is  necessary? 

"A.  A  general  confession  is  necessary  for  those  who  never 
yet  approached  the  sacrament  of  penance  with  the  necessary 
disposition,  or  have  a  reasonable  doubt  whether  they  ever  did. 

"  Q.  What  must  one  do  who  feels  ashamed  to  declare  some 
sin  in  confession  ? 

"A.   He  must, — 

"1.  Earnestly  beg  of  God  the  grace  of  surmounting  that 
false  shame. 


A  UPJC ULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  2 3 

"2.  Look  upon  the  pain  of  confessing  his  sin  as  the  first 
penance  to  be  done  for  it. 

"3.  Make  use  of  considerations  that  may  help  him  to  over- 
come it. 

"  Q.   What  are  these  considerations? 

"  A.    1.   That  the  priest  is  the  lather  and  friend  of  his  soul. 

"2.  That  the  priest  is  bound,  under  pain  of  damnation,  to 
absolute  secrecy  and  silence  with  regard  to  the  sins  he  hears 
in  confession. 

"3.  That  the  sins  one  would  thus  conceal  from  one  man  will 
be  revealed  by  Jesus  Christ,  at  the  last  day,  to  the  whole 
world." 

Again,  from  St.  Liguori : 

"He  who  has  offended  God  by  mortal  sin  has  no  other 
i-emedy  for  his  damnation  but  the  confession  of  his  sin.  But, 
if  I  am  sorry  for  it  from  my  heart  ?  If  I  do  penance  for  it  during 
my  whole  life?  If  I  go  into  the  desert,  and  live  on  wild  herbs,  and 
sleep  on  the  ground?  You  may  do  as  much  as  you  please;  but 
if  you  do  not  confess  every  mortal  sin  which  you  remember, 
you  can  not  obtain  pardon.  I  have  said,  a  sin  which  you  re- 
member;  for,  should  you  have  inculpably  forgotten  a  sin,  it  has 
been  pardoned  indirectly,  if  you  had  a  general  sorrow  for  all 
your  offenses  against  God.  It  is  sufficient  for  you  to  confess 
it  whenever  you  remember  it.  But  if  you  have  concealed  it 
voluntarily,  you  must  then  confess  not  only  the  sin  which  has 
been  concealed,  but  also  the  others  which  have  been  confessed; 
for  the  confession  was  null  and  sacrilegious. 

"Accursed  shame!  How  many  poor  souls  does  this  shame 
send  to  hell !  St.  Teresa  used  to  say  to  preachers, '  Preach,  dearly 
beloved  priests,  preach  against  bad  confessions;  for  it  is  on 
account  of  bad  confessions  that  the  greater  part  of  Christians 
are  damned.'  "  (St.  Liguori  on  the  Commandments  and  Sacra- 
ments, p.  219.) 

Again : 

"  A  penitent  at  confession  should  imagine  himself  to  be  a 
criminal  condemned  to  death,  bound  by  as  many  chains  as  he 
has  sins  to  confess,  and  presenting  himself  before  a  confessor,  who 
holds  the  place  of  God,  and  who  alone  can  loose  his  bonds  and 


24  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

deliver  him  from  hell.    Hence,  he  must  speak  to  the  confessor 
with  great  humility."    (p.  2270 

Again : 

"Let  all  who  choose  to  advance  in  the  way  of  God  obey 
their  confessor,  who  holds  the  place  of  God ;  he  who  acts  thus 
is  certain  that  he  shall  not  have  to  render  to  God  an  account 
of  the  actions  which  he  performed  through  obedience."  (p.  196.) 

"  OP  THE  MANNER  OP  CONFESSING  OUR  SINS. 

"  Q.  What  must  we  do,  when  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the 
priest? 

"J..  We  must  behold  in  the  person  of  the  priest  that  of 
Jesus  Christ  himself,  in  whose  name  he  sits  there. 

"  Q.  How  must  we  consider  ourselves  ? 

"A.  Each  penitent  must  consider  himself  a  criminal,  who 
appears  before  his  judge. 

"  Q.  How  must  we  begin  our  confession? 

"  A.    We  must, — 

"  1.    Make  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

"  2.  Ask  the  priest's  blessing,  saying,  Bless  me,  father !  for  I 
have  sinned. 

':  3.  Say  the  Confiteor,  or,  I  confess  to  Almighty  God,  etc.,  as 
far  as,  Through  my  fault,  etc. 

*'  Q.   What  are  we  to  do  next? 

"A.  We  must  tell,— 

"  1.   The  time  of  our  last  confession. 

"  2.   Whether  we  received  absolution. 

"  3   Whether  we  have  performed  the  penance  enjoined  upon  us. 

"4.  Whether  we  did  not  forget  any  thing  in  our  last 
confession. 

"  Q'    What  is  the  best  form  of  confession  ? 

"  A.  It  is  to  say,  7  accuse  myself  of  such  and  such  a  sin,  so 
many  times. 

'•  Q.   By  what  sin  is  it  proper  to  begin  our  confession  ? 

"  A.  It  is  proper  to  begin  our  confession  by  the  sin  which 
gives  us  most  uneasiness."  (Bishop  David's  Catechism,  p.  107.) 

This  obligation  of  confession  is  enforced  throughout 
the  Roman  Church.     It  is  taught  in  all  works  on  theology, 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  DEFINED.  25 

and  in  all  catechetical  instruction.  In  the  Roman  system 
of  theology,  Auricular  Confession  is  an  indispensable 
condition  of  reconciliation  and  salvation.  A  neglect  of 
the  confessional  deprives  the  neglector  of  the  right  to  the 
ordinances  and  immunities  of  the  Church,  and  forever 
excludes  him  from  heaven.  The  ingenuity  of  the  Church 
has  been  taxed  to  impress  these  sentiments,  and  compel 
the  faithful  observance  of  the  confessional.  The  more 
effectually  to  accomplish  this  work,  penitents  are  contin- 
ually threatened  with  endless  perdition  if  they  die  in 
the  neglect  of  it. 

The  following  from  Dr.  Butler's  Small  Catechism, 
page  27,  expresses  the  approved  doctrine  of  the  Church : 

"  Q.  Ai-e  any  other  condemned  to  hell  beside  the  devils  or 
bad  angels? 

"  A.  Yes;  all  who  die  enemies  to  God;  that  is,  all  who  die 
in  the  state  of  mortal  sin. 

"  Q.   Can  any  one  come  out  of  hell? 

"  A.   No  ;  out  of  hell  there  is  no  redemption.1' 

The  only  exception  is,  where  they  say  the  Virgin 
Mary  sometimes  interposes,  and  rescues  souls  doomed  to 
endless  perdition.  Priests,  for  money,  pretend  to  deliver 
souls  from  purgatory — a  place  which  does  not  exist ;  but 
it  is  reserved  for  Mary  only  to  deliver  from  hell.  (Glories 
of  Mary,  p.  123,  etc.) 


26  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  in. 

CONFESSION  FURTHER  DEFINED. 

above  extracts  disclose  many  startling  facts 
-*-  worthy  of  careful  consideration,  some  of  which  we 
here  enumerate : 

1.  The  penitent,  when  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the 
priest  "  must  behold  in  the  person  of  the  priest  that  of 
Jesus   Christ  himself,   in   whose  name  he  sits   there." 
This  certainly  requires  powerful  organs  of  vision  or  a 
more  powerful  imagination  to  see  in  the  person  of  any 
priest,  whether  drunk  or  sober,    "that  of  Jesus  Christ 
himself"      What   strange   perceptions    must    Romanists 
have  when  they  can  at  one  time  behold  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  person  of  a  bloated,  licentious  priest,  and  at  another 
time  in  a  drop  of  wine,  or  in  the  small  dust  of  a  wafer. 

2.  "Each  penitent  must  consider  himself  a  criminal 
who  appears  before  his  judge."     How  degrading  this  ab- 
ject servitude ;  how  lost  to  self-respect  must  be  the  vic- 
tims of  superstition  who  can  voluntarily  surrender  soul 
and  body  to  the  dictation  and  domination  of  arrogant, 
self-constituted  despots. 

3.  What  a  blasphemous  assumption  for  mortal  man, 
inflated   with  a  self-righteous  pomposity,  and   with  his 
shirt-collar  the  back  side  before,  in  a  long  gown  or  petti- 


CONFESSION  FURTHER  DEFINED.  27 

coat,  or  with  his  coat-tail  a  foot  longer  than  other  men's, 
strutting  in  sanctimonious  hypocrisy,  proclaiming  him- 
self God,  with  power  over  three  worlds — heaven,  earth, 
and  hell — and  ability  to  save  or  damn  the  souls  of  men 
at  pleasure;  pretending  to  open  and  shut  heaven  and 
hell  at  discretion,  to  grant  judicial  pardon  as  God,  when 
(unless  he  is  better  than  required  by  his  theology,  and 
better  than  many  of  his  order)  he  is  living  in  debauch- 
ery, indulging  his  appetites,  passions,  and  propensities. 
Shame  on  such  blasphemous,  heaven-daring,  hell-deserv- 
ing insolence,  which,  in  hypocritical  mask,  and  in  virtue's 
guise,  attempts  to 

"  Steal  the  livery  of  the  court  of  heaven, 
To  serve  the  devil  in ; 

And  transact  villainies  that  common  sinners  durst  not  meddle 
with." 

"Oh  judgment!  thou  hast  fled  to  brutish  beasts, 
And  men  have  lost  their  reason." 

4.  The  priest,  in  the  confessional  as  God,  pretends  to 
forgive  the  sins  of  others,  when  at  the  same  time  he  is 
liable  at  any  moment  to  be  eternally  damned  if  he  should 
disclose  secrets  from  the  confessional.     Thus  "  the  man 
of  sin  is  revealed ;  the  son  of  perdition  who  as  God  sit- 
teth  in  the  Temple  of  God."     (2  Thess.  ii.) 

5.  The  penitent   must  "  earnestly  beg  of  God  the 
grace   of  surmounting  that  false-  shame"  etc.     Thus  it 
seems  that  in  the  work  of  seduction  the  "  Mother  of 
Harlots "  is  not  limited  within  the  ordinary  limits  of 
sensual  brutality,  but  guided  by  licentious  theology,  her 
voluptuous  sacerdotal  seducers  are  authorized  to  instruct 


28  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

their  confiding  penitents  to  "leg  of  God  the  grace  of  sur- 
mounting that  false  shame"  What  more  fiendish  plot 
could  have  been  devised  to  prostitute  virtue  and  debase 
society  ? 

Modesty,  the  guardian  angel  of  virtue,  must  be  sacri- 
ficed to  gratify  the  avarice  and  lust  of  clerical  pretend- 
ers, and  the  intended  victims  are  required  to  "leg  God" 
to  assist  in  the  soul-destroying  work. 

0  insulted  justice !  how  long  wilt  thou  stay  thy 
avenging  arm,  and  permit  the  "  Whore  of  Babylon  "  to 
revel  unrestrained,  "drunk  with  the  blood  of  saints," 
and  virtue  by  »her  trampled  to  the  dust  ?  Is  there  not 
some  hidden  curse,  some  bolt  of  heaven,  red  with  un- 
common wrath,  to  blast  a  system  which  holds  fiendish 
carnival  amidst  the  ruins  of  fallen  virtue,  and  laughs  to 
scorn  the  dying  agonies  of  lost  souls  ? 

6.  To  give  respectability  to  this  seductive  system  of 
clerical  debauchery,  we  are  assured  by  the  corrupters 
that  "  the  faithful  in  all  ages  have  had  recourse  to  con- 
fession to  obtain  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins."     By  this 
declaration  they  evidently  intend  to  teach  that  Auricular 
Confession  has  been  practiced  in  all  ages.     This  is  an 
unmitigated  falsehood,  only  worthy  the  Jesuit  system  of 
iniquity  which  it  is  intended  to  propagate. 

7.  One  of  the  reasons  assigned  for  Auricular  Confes- 
sion is  the  ignorance  of  the  clergy,  "  because  they  could 
not  know  what  sins  to  forgive  and  what  sins  to  retain,  if 
they  were  not  declared  unto  them."     This  is  an  honest 
confession,  and  it  is  not  all  nor  the  worst  of  it ;  they  are 


CONFESSION  FURTHER  DEFINED.  29 

not  only  ignorant  of  sins  committed,  but  they  have  no 
power  to  forgive  sins,  whether  known  or  otherwise.  It 
is  simply  a  blasphemous  assumption,  not  authorized  by 
the  word  of  God,  nor  consistent  with  reason.  The  Bible 
throughout  teaches  that  God  only  can  forgive  sin.  God 
is  omniscient;  he  knows  all  the  thoughts,  motives,  de- 
sires, purposes,  words,  and  actions  of  men.  Not  so  the 
Roman  clergy ;  they  do  not  so  much  as  know  the  decep- 
tion of  their  own  hearts ;  and  they  have  no  more  power 
to  forgive  sins  judicially  than  had  Judas  Iscariot,  or 
Simon  the  sorcerer.  Many  of  them  violate  both  the 
laws  of  God  and  man,  and  pretend  each  to  grant  the 
other  absolution.  This  looks  very  much  like  Satan  cast- 
ing out  devils.  Can  it  be  possible  that  the  Roman 
clergy  are  such  consummate  simpletons  as  to  be  de- 
ceived by  their  own  clerical  jugglery  ?  Has  their  rea- 
son become  stultified,  or  have  they  been  given  over  to 
reprobate  minds,  to  "believe  a  lie  that  they  may  be 
damned  !"  It  is  doubtless  true  that  many  of  the  Roman 
clergy  possess  far  less  intelligence  than  is  generally 
awarded  to  them.  But  after  spreading  the  broadest  man- 
tle of  charity  to  its  utmost  tension,  it  is  impossible  to  re- 
strain the  conviction  that  many  of  them  are  deliberately 
practicing  an  unprecedented  fraud  upon  a  confiding  peo- 
ple. They  certainly  do  know  that  their  pretended  judi- 
cial absolution  is  a  blasphemous,  hypocritical,  ecclesiastical 
farce,  and  that  they  are  willfully  deceiving  their  un- 
fortunate victims,  and  decoying  them  down  to  endless 
perdition.  They  most  assuredly  do  know  that  they  are 


30  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

instrumentally  destroying  the  souls  of  their  fellow- 
beings  by  crying,  Peace,  peace,  when  there  is  no  peace 
for  the  wicked.  No  language  can  portray  the  conse- 
quences of  this  fatal  deception. 

The  mere  gratification  of  ambition,  avarice,  or  lust 
here  will  be  a  miserable  equivalent  to  the  clergy  when 
justice  is  awarded  by  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  who 
will  do  right;  when  popes,  bishops,  and  priests,  in  com- 
mon with  other  sinners,  will  stand  justified,  regenerated, 
and  saved  by  grace,  through  faith,  in  the  merits  of 
Jesus  Christ  alone,  or  be  forever  condemned  for  reject- 
ing the  only  Savior  of  the  world.  Lordly  titles  and 
clerical  robes  are  not  the  requisite  qualification  for 
heaven.  They  will  be  consumed  by  the  brightness  of 
His  coming.  And  unless  clothed  in  the  righteousness  of 
Jesus  Christ,  penitent  and  priest,  cardinal  and  pope,  will 
appear  destitute  and  naked  before  God,  the  judge  of  the 
universe,  to  receive  merited  condemnation,  and  ever  after 
be  exposed  to  that  storm  of  wrath  which  is  now  henping 
up  against  the  day  of  wrath. 

8.  This  pretended  clerical  power  is  again  predicated 
on  the  assumption  that  Jesus  Christ,  in  his  nature 
and  person  as  man,  judicially  pardoned  sins;  that  he 
delegated  to  Peter,  as  man,  power  to  forgive  sins ;  and 
that  through  Peter  the  Roman  clergy,  individually,  pos- 
sess this  power  through  an  unbroken  apostolical  suc- 
cession. This  theory  is  false  in  every  member.  The 
Bible  nowhere  teaches  that  in  forgiving  sins  Jesus  Christ 
acted  only  " as  man" 


CONFESSION  FURTHER  DEFINED.  31 

There  is  no  evidence  in  the  Bible  that  Jesus  Christ 
conferred  on  Peter,  or  any  other  apostle,  judicial  power  to 
forgive  sins. 

The  apostles  never  had  apostolic  successors,  and  the 
Bible  does  not  show  that  Peter  or  any  other  apostle  ever 
exercised  that  power,  or  conferred  it  on  a  successor. 
History  does  not  show  an  unbroken  holy  succession  from 
Peter  or  any  other  apostle  to  the  clergy  of  Rome  at  the 
present  time.  If  there  is  any  natural  or  clerical  affinity 
with  any  apostle  and  the  clergy  of  Rome,  it  most  legiti- 
mately connects  with  Judas  Iscariot,  whose  penurious 
spirit  they  clearly  manifest.  There  is  no  evidence  from 
the  Bible  or  history  that  Peter  or  any  of  the  apostles 
went  about  hearing  auricular  confession,  and  forgiving 
sins,  or  that  they  appointed  any  person  to  do  it  for  them. 
The  reverse  of  this  is  true,  and  history  and  the  Bible 
prove  conclusively  that  the  boasted  "holy  apostolic" 
succession  of  the  Roman  clergy  is  a  myth  of  their  own 
production,  and  fabricated  for  sordid  purposes.  History 
shows  a  long  succession  of  popes  and  bishops  who  were 
clerical  tyrants,  and  many  of  them  drunken  debauchees, 
by  whose  notorious  profligacy  their  pretended  chain  of 
holy  succession  is  hopelessly  and  ruinously  broken. 

9.  This  whole  system  rests  on  an  unsustained  as- 
sumption, and  that  assumption  is  enforced  by  the  third 
precept  of  the  Church,  and  the  reason  assigned  for  the 
third  precept  is,  "Because  libertines  would  not  have  done 
it  [confessed]  once  in  many  years."  This  is  a  tacit  ad- 
mission that  the  Church  of  Rome  contains  Avithin  it  as 


32  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

communicants  such  a  large  number  of  libertines  that  it 
became  necessary  to  enact  a  law  in  perpetuity  to  regu- 
late their  licentiousness.  How  different  this  system 
from  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  which  declares  that 
"without  are  dogs,  and  sorcerers,  and  whoremongers!" 

The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  the  appropriate 
place  for  libertines,  and  if  the  Church  of  Rome  were  a 
true  and  pure  Church  of  Christ,  there  would  be  no  ne- 
cessity for  either  the  "third precept"  of  the  Church,  or 
the  confessional  to  regulate  or  restrain  libertines. 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  33 


CHAPTER  IY. 

THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION. 

TN  all  ages  of  the  world,  wicked  men  "have  loved 
•*•  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  were 
evil ;"  and  never  was  this  fact  more  forcibly  illustrated 
than  in  the  Romish  confessional.  To  conceal  the  abom- 
inations of  Auricular  Confession,  the  highest  theology  of 
the  Roman  Church  authorizes  equivocation,  mental  res- 
ervation, falsehood,  and  perjury.. 

For  the  benefit  of  Protestants  who  may  not  have 
access  to  the  secret  abominations  of  the  confessional,  we 
will  compel  Roman  theologians  to  define  the  subject. 
The  works  from  which  we  quote  are  now  before  us,  and 
are  circulated  in  the  United  States,  with  the  approbation 
of  popes  and  bishops. 

Beginning  with  the  smaller  catechisms,  and  ending 
with  the  higher  theological  works,  the  obligation  of 
secrecy  is  enforced,  under  the  most  solemn  sanctions  and 
the  most  awful  penalties  : 

"  The  priest  is  bound,  under  pain  of  damnation,  to  absolute 
secrecy  and  silence,  with  regard  to  the  sins  he  hears  in.  con- 
fession." (Bishop  David's  Catechism,  p.  105.) 

"  Know  that  the  confessor  is  bound  to  suffer  himself  to  be 
burnt  alive  sooner  than  disclose  a  single  venial  sin  confessed 
by  a  penitent.  The  confessor  can  not  speak  of  what  he  has 

3 


34  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

• 

heard  hi  confession,  even  to  the  penitent  himself;  that  is, 
without  the  permission  of  the  penitent."  (St.  Liguori  on  the 
Commandments  and  Sacraments,  p.  225.) 

Again : 

"A  penitent  at  confession  should  imagine  himself  to  be  a 
criminal  condemned  to  death,  bound  by  as  many  chains  as  he 
has  sins  to  confess,  and  presenting  himself  before  a  confessor, 
who  holds  the  place  of  God,  and  who  alone  can  loose  his  bonds 
and  deliver  him  from  hell."  (p.  227.) 

"By  the  law  of  God  and  his  Church,  whatever  is  declared 
in  confession  can  never  be  discovered  directly  or  indirectly  to 
any  one,  upon  any  account  whatsoever,  but  remains  an  eternal 
secret  betwixt  God  and  the  penitent  soul ;  of  which  the  confessor 
can  not,  even  to  save  his  own  life,  make  any  use  at  all,  to  the 
penitent's  discredit,  disadvantage,  or  any  other  grievance  what- 
soever. Vide  Decretum  Innocentii  XI,  die  18  Novemb.  Anno  1682." 
(Challoner's  Catholic  Christian  Instructed,  p.  126.) 

"The  priest,  as  the  vicegerent  of  Jesus  Christ,  bound  to 
eternal  secrecy  by  every  law,  human  and  divine."  (Catechism 
•of  Trent,  p.  190.) 

"Secrec3T  should  be  strictly  observed,  as  well  by  penitent  as 
priest;  and  hence,  because  in  such  circumstances  secrecy  must 
be  insecure,  no  one  can,  on  any  account,  confess  by  messenger 
or  letter."  (Catechism  of  Trent,  p.  195.) 

Here  let  us  pause  and  sum  up  these  facts. 

Bishop  David  teaches  that  the  priest  is  bound  to 
secrecy,  under  "pain  of  damnation"  St.  Liguori  says 
that  the  priest  should  be  "  burnt  alive "  sooner  than  re- 
veal. Dr.  Challoner  declares  that  the  priest  "  should  not 
reveal,  to  save  his  life"  The  Catechism  of  Trent  declares 
{hat  the  "priest  is  bound  to  secrecy  by  every  laiv,  human 
and  divine"  and  that  the  "penitent  is  equally  bound" 
Both  priest  and  penitent  are  therefore  bound  to  observe 
"eternal  secrecy"  relative  to  transactions  in  the  confes- 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  35 

,  • 

sional,  at  the  peril  of  life,  and  threatened  with  "  eternal 
damnation  "  if  they  reveal. 

Nothing  less  than  deeds  of  darkness  most  horrible 
could  demand  such  a  penalty  for  disclosing  their  secrets. 

This  obligation  of  secrecy  is  not  peculiar  to  the  Roman 
Church  in  Italy  and  Spain,  or  in  the  dark  ages  of  super- 
stition. It  is  now  binding  on  Romanists  in  America  and 
throughout  the  world. 

These  pledges  of  eternal  secrecy  are  not  sufficient  to 
destroy  the  inherent  modesty  enstamped  by  the  Creator 
on  the  female  constitution.  The  Roman  clergy  therefore 
often  experience  much  difficulty  in  degrading  and  subju- 
gating the  noble  heart  of  woman  to  the  corrupting  and 
licentious  influences  of  the  confessional.  They  are  com- 
pelled to  denounce  virtuous  modesty  as  "foolish  bashful- 
ness  "  and  "false  delicacy"  and  assault  the  citadel  of  the 
virtuous  woman's  heart  by  scoff 'and  scorn,  by  threat  and 
promise,  to  consummate  their  fiendish  purpose. 

In  confirmation  of  these  facts,  we  again  refer  to  the 
Catechism  of  Trent,  page  197 : 

"But  as  all  are  anxious  that  their  sins  should  be  buried  in 
eternal  secrecy,  the  faithful  are  to  be  admonished  that  there  is 
no  reason  whatever  to  apprehend  that  what  is  made  known  in 
confession  will  ever  be  revealed  by  any  priest,  or  that  by 
it  the  penitent  can,  at  any  time,  be  brought  into  danger  or 
difficulty  of  ahy  sort.  All  laws,  human  and  divine,  guard  the 
inviolability  of  the  seal  of  confession,  and  against  its  sacri- 
legious infraction  the  Church  denounces  her  heaviest  chastise- 
ments. Let  the  priests,  says  the  Great  Council  of  Lateran, 
take  especial  care  neither  by  word  nor  sign,  nor  by  any  other 
means  whatever,  to  betray  in  the  least  degree  the  sacred  trust 
confided  to  them  by  the  sinner." 


36  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Again,  on  page  198  : 

"Still  more  pernicious  is  the  conduct  of  those  who,  yielding 
to  a  foolish  bashfulness,  can  not  induce  themselves  to  confess 
their  sins.  Such  persons  are  to  be  encouraged  by  exhortation, 
and  to  be  reminded  that  there  is  no  reason  whatever  why  they 
should  yield  to  such  false  delicacy;  that  to  no  one  can  it  appeal- 
surprising  if  persons  fall  into  sin,  the  common  malady  of  the 
human  race,  and  natural  appendage  of  human  infirmity." 

Again,  on  page  199  : 

"But  as  it  sometimes  happens  that  females,  who  may  have 
forgotten  some  sin  in  a  former  confession,  can  not  bring  them- 
selves to  return  to  the  confessor,  dreading  to  expose  themselves 
to  the  suspicion  of  having  been  guilt}'  of  something  grievous, 
or  of  looking  for  the  praise  of  extraordinary  piety,  the  pastor 
will  frequently  remind  the  faithful,  both  publicly  and  privately, 
that  »o  one  is  gifted  with  so  tenacious  a  memory  as  to  be  able 
to  recollect  all  his  thoughts,  words,  and  actions;  that  the  faith- 
ful, therefore,  should  they  call  to  mind  any  thing  grievous 
which  they  had  previously  forgotten,  should  not  be  deterred 
from  returning  to  the  priest.  These  and  many  other  matters 
demand,  and  should  receive,  the  particular  attention  of  the 
confessor  in  the  tribunal  of  penance." 

When  we  consider  the  nature  of  the  questions  pro- 
pounded by  the  priests  to  females — maids,  matrons,  and 
small  girls — it  should  not  be  a  matter  of  surprise  that 
the  priests  are  compelled  to  tax  their  ingenuity  in  devis- 
ing means  by  which  to  compel  their  attendance  at  con- 
fession. It  is  rather  a  matter  of  surprise  that  insulted 
virtue  has  so  long  refrained  from  consigning  them  to 
merited  infamy. 

No  other  class  of  men  would  be  tolerated  in  decent 
society  who  would  propound  to  females  such  vile  ques- 
tions as  are  asked  by  priests  in  the  confessional.  And 
yet  Protestant  parents,  who  profess  to  love  their  daugh- 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  37 

ters  as  they  love  their  own  lives,  will  place  them  in 
convents,  where  their  morals  are  liable  to  be  corrupted 
through  the  unhallowed  influence  of  the  confessional. 
Surely,  they  do  not  know  the  corrupting  influence  to 
which  they  are  exposed.  But  it  may  be  said  that  it  is  a 
matter  of  discretion  whether  Romanists  do  or  do  not  at- 
tend confession — whether  they  do  or  do  not  answer  the 
obscene  questions  propounded  by  the  priests. 

Such  declarations  are  evidence  of  the  most  profound 
ignorance  of  the  rules  of  the  Roman  Church.  It  is  not 
discretionary  with  any  Romanist.  All  are  required  to 
make  confession  to  the  priests,  and  are  excluded  from 
the  communion  of  the  Church  if  they  do  not.  All  are 
required  to  confess  their  sins  of  thought,  of  word,  or 
action — not  in  general  terms,  but  in  detail — and  answer 
any  questions,  obscene  or  otherwise,  which  the  priest 
may  choose  to  ask.  In  attestation  of  these  facts,  we 
appeal  to  Roman  books  before  us. 

But  before  we  proceed  with  the  horrible  disclosures, 
let  further  evidence  be  exhibited  relative  to  the  obliga- 
tions of  secrecy,  by  which  this  system  of  ecclesiastical 
seduction  has  been  so  long  and  so  successfully  secluded 
from  inspection,  and  its  projectors  shielded  from  merited 
infamy. 

Let  no  one  infer  that  our  language  is  too  strong,  or 
that  we  are  making  assertions  without  clear  documentary 
evidence  at  hand  to  sustain  them.  We  have  the  most 
horrible  and  startling  facts  before  us;  but  their  indeli- 
cacy precludes  their  insertion  in  this  work.  We  can 


38  AURICULAR  COSFESS10X  EXPOSED. 

only  approximate  the  facts  and  permit  the  reader  to 
infer  the  rest. 

The  startling  facts  disclosed  in  these  books  and  re- 
ferred to  in  the  following  pages,  have  excited  profound 
interest  in  the  minds  of  many  intelligent  Protestants, 
and  the  questions  are  frequently  asked/  "Is  it  possible , 
that  such  books  are  now  secretly  circulated  in  our  midst, 
as  a  guide  of  the  Roman  clergy  in  the  confessional  and 
other  pretended  devotions  ?" — To  which  we  reply,  It  is 
not  only  possible,  but  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  they  are 
now  used  on  both  continents  with  the  approbation  of 
Pope  Gregory  XVI.,  and  Pope  Pius  IX.  Peter  Dens's 
"  Theology "  has  been  in  use  among  the  Roman  clergy 
more  than  one  hundred  years.  It  has  been  twice  unani- 
mously approved  by  the  Roman  Catholic  prelates  of 
Ireland,  during  the  present  century,  as  the  most  com- 
plete system  of  theology  that  could  be  published.  It 
has  been  used  as  a  text-book  in  the  Royal  College  'of 
Maynooth,  Ireland.  It  is  secretly  sold  by  the  pope's 
accredited  publishers  and  booksellers  in  New  York.  The 
Mechlinise  edition,  from  which  the  extracts  are  taken, 
bears  date  1864,  and  is  published  by  "De  Propaganda 
fide"  (Society  for  Propagation  of  the  Faith).  On  the 
title-page  it  bears  the  following  inscription  :  "  Theologia 
ad  usum  Seminariorum,  et  Sacrce  Theologies  Alumnorum" 
(Theology  in  use  in  the  Theological  Seminary,  and  Sacred 
Theology  for  Students.)  Kenrick's  "Theology"  was 
first  published  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  years  1841,  1842, 
and  1843,  and  "Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress, 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  39 

by  Francis  Patrick  Kenrick,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the 
District  Court  in  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania." 
It  was  published  in  three  volumes,  and  the  extracts  are 
from  the  first  edition.  A  later  edition  from  Mechlinise, 
published  in  two  volumes,  by  the  "Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith,"  bears  date  1861,  and  to  our 
personal  knowledge  it  is  catalogued  in  Latin,  and  is  for 
sale  in  the  large  Catholic  bookstores  generally  through- 
out the  United  States. 

These  and  other  kindred  corrupting  Roman  Theolo- 
gies, together  with  Auricular  Confession,  ought  to  be 
suppressed  by  legal  enactments.  They  are  the  prolific 
source  of  gross  licentiousness.  These  are  but  speci- 
mens of  the  entire  system  of  theology,  and  the  infernal 
questions  which  they  suggest  may  be  propounded  by 
bachelor  priests,  at  discretion,  to  females  of  all  ages, 
from  "seven  years"  upward;  and  the  obligation  of  the 
confession  binds  them  under  penalty  of  "eternal  damna- 
tion" to  "eternal  secrecy."  The  indelicacy  of  the  sub- 
jects discussed  precludes  the  possibility  of  disclosing  the 
facts  promiscuously  through  the  press  or  to  a  mixed 
audience.  And  yet  something  must  be  done  to  arrest 
this  flood-tide  of  licentiousness. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  may  not  have  access 
to  the  original  we  furnish  the  Latin  extracts  on  the 
secrecy  of  the  confessional,  accompanied  with  an  English 
translation  in  parallel  columns. 

In  Bishop  Kenrick's  Theology,  vol.  3,  page  172, 
section  87,  perjury  is  sanctioned  to  conceal  the  abom- 


40 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


inations  of  the  confessional,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  fol- 
lowing quotation : 


'•DE   SIQILLO   CONFESSIONIS. 

"  Interrogatus  confessarius 
utrum  quis  apud  eum  confes- 
sus  fuerit,  poterit  plerumque 
respondere,  prout  res  se  habet. 
Quod  si  clam  accessor! t,  ipsam 
confessionem  celatam  volens, 
putant  plures,  et  quidcm  recte, 
judice  S.  Alphonso,  frangi  sig- 
illum  si  accessus  ejus  a  eonfes- 
sario  declaretur,  nam  gravi- 
oris,  peccati  suspicionem  facile 
injicit.  (L.  vi.  n.  638.)  De  iis 
autcm  quaa  confitendo  declar- 
antur,  nihil  prorsus  dicendum 
est;  ea  enim  ignorare  cause- 
lur;  quum  nonnisi  Dei  vices 
gerenti  innotescant.  'Homo 
non  adducitur  in  testimonium, 
nisi  ut  homo.  Et  ideo  sine 
laesione  conscientiae  potest  ju- 
rare  se  nescire,  quod  scit  tan- 
tum  ut  Deus.'  (S.  Thorn.  Suppl. 
iii.  p.  qu.  xi.  art  i.  ad  3.)  Igi- 
tur  simpliciter  denegare  debet 
se  ea  nosse ;  quod  si  aliunde 
noverit,  cavendum  ne  quid  cer- 
tius  ex  confessione  proferatur." 


"THE  SEAL   OF  CONFESSION. 

"When  a  confessor  is  asked 
whether  any  one  has  confessed 
to  him,  he  may  generally  reply 
as  the  case  is.  If  he  has  come 
secretly,  wishing  the  confes- 
sion itself  to  be  concealed, 
many  think,  and  rightly,  in- 
deed, according  to  the  opinion 
of  S.  Alphonsus  (Liguori),  that 
his  seal  is  broken  if  his  appli- 
cation to  him  be  mentioned  by 
the  confessor,  for  he  may  easily 
cause  him  to  incur  suspicion  of 
a  more  than  commonly  griev- 
ous sin.  Of  the  things  which 
are  declared  in  confession, 
nothing  further  is  to  be  said ; 
for  he  is  supposed  not  to  know 
them  when  they  arc  known 
only  to  the  vicegerent  of  God. 
'A  man  is  brought  as  a  wit- 
ness only  as  a  man.  And, 
therefore,  without  injury  to 
conscience,  he  can  swear  that 
he  does  not  know  those  things, 
which  he  knows  only  as  God.' 
Therefore,  he  ought  simply  to 
deny  that  he  knows  these 
things;  if  he  has  learned  them 
from  another  source,  care  must 
be  taken  lest  any  thing  should 
be  reported  more  accurately 
from  the  confession." 

Here  let  it  be  observed  that  the  Roman  priest  in  the 
confessional  is  God,  and  outside  of  the  confessional,  or 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  41 

in  the  court-room  as  a  witness,  he  is  man.  What  he, 
as  God,  knows  in  the  confessional,  he  as  man  does  not 
know  as  a  witness,  "  and,  without  injury  to  conscience,  can 
sivear  that  he  does  not  know  those  things  which  he  knows 
only  as  God." 

Such  is  the  moral  theology  of  the  most  distinguished 
archbishop  of  America,  whose  works  are  indorsed  by  Pope 
Pius  IX  and  Pope  Gregory  XVI,  and  are  for  the  guide  of 
the  Roman  clergy  on  both  continents.  Here  is  unblushing 
perjury  sanctioned  by  the  highest  authority  of  the  Church 
of  Rome,  and  which  all  the  clergy  are  required  to  teach. 

The  same  unmitigated  perjury  is  taught  more  clearly 
in  the  Moral  Theology  of  Peter  Dens.  Here  again  is 

PEEJUEY   SANCTIONED. 

"  DE  SIGILLO  CONFESSIONIS.  "  ON   THE    SEAL    OP    CONFESSION. 

"Quid  est  sigillum  confes-  "What  is  the  seal  of  sacra- 

sionis  sacramentalis ?  mental  confession? 

"72.  Est  obligatio  sou  debit-  "A.  It  is  the  obligation  or 

um  celandi  ea,  qua?  ex  sacra-  duty  of  concealing  those  things 

mental!  confessione  cognoscun-  which  are  learned  from  sacra- 

tur.  (Dens.  torn,  vi,  p.  227.)  mental  confession.  (Dens,  vol. 

6,  p.  227.) 

"  An  potest  dari  casus,  in  "  Can  a  case  be  given  in 

quo  licet  frangere  sigillum  sa-  which  it  is  lawful  to  break  the 

cramentale?  sacramental  seal? 

"jR.  Non  potest  dari;  quam-  "A.  It  can  not;  although  the 

vis  ab  eo  penderet  vita  aut  life  or  safety  of  a  man  depended 

salus  hominis,  aut  etiam  inter-  thereon,  or  even  the  destruc- 

itus  Eeipublica;  neque  sum-  tion  of  the  commonwealth; 

mus  Pontifex  in  eo  dispensare  nor  can  the  Supreme  Pontiff 

potest;  ut  proinde  hoc  sigilli  give  dispensation  in  this;  so 

arcanum  magis  liget,  quam  ob-  that  on  that  account  this  secret 

ligatio  juramenti,  voti,  secreti  of  the  seal  is  more  binding 


42 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


naturalis,  etc.,  idque  ox  volun- 
tate  Dei  positiva. 


"  Quid  igitur  respond  ere  de- 
bet  confessarius  interrogatus 
super  veritate,  quam  per  solam 
confessionem  sacramentalem 
novit? 

"  R.  Debet  respondcre  se  nes- 
cire  earn,  et  si  opus  est,  idem 
juramento  confirmare. 

"Obj.  Nullo  casu  licet  men- 
tiri ;  atqui  confessarius  ille 
mentirctur  quia  scit  veritatem, 
ergo,  etc. 

"  R.  Neg.  min.,  quia  talis 
confessarius  interrogator  ut 
homo,  et  respondet  ut  homo; 
jam  autem  non  scit  ut  homo 
illam  veritatem,  quamvis  sciat 
ut  Deus,  aitS.  Th.  q.  II,  art.  1 
ad  3,  et  iste  sensus  sponte  in 
est  responsioni ;  nam  quando 
extra  confessionem  interroga- 
tur,  vel  respondet,  consideratur 
ut  homo." 

"  Quid  si  directe  a  confessa- 
rio  quaeratur,  utrum  illud  seiat 
per  confessionem  'sacramenta- 
lem? 

"  R.  Hoc  casu  nihil  oportet 
respondere ;  ita  Steysert  cum 
Sylvio;  sed  interrogatio  reji- 
cienda  est  tanquam  irnpia  vel 
etiam  posset  absolute,  non  re- 
lative ad  petition  em  dicere  ; 


than  the  obligation  of  an  oath, 
a  vow.  a  natural  secret,  etc., 
and  that  by  the  positive  "will 
of  God. 

"What  answer,  then,  ought 
a  confessor  give  when  ques- 
tioned concern  ing  the  truth 
which  he  knows  from  sacra- 
mental confession  only? 

"A.  He  ought  to  answer  that 
lie  does  nQt  know  it,  and,  if  it 
be  necessary,  to  confirm  the  same 
with  an  oath. 

"Obj.  It  is  in  no  case  lawful 
to  tell  a  lie;  but  tnat  confessor 
would  be  guilty  of  a  lie,  be- 
cause he  knows  the  truth, 
therefore,  etc. 

"A.  I  deny  the  minor ;  be- 
cause such  a  confessor  is  ques- 
tioned as  a  man,  and  answers 
as  a  man;  but  now  he  does  not 
know  that  truth  as  a  man, 
though  he  knows  it  as  God, 
says  St.  Thomas  (q.  II.,  art.  1, 
3),  and  that  is  the  free  and 
natural  meaning  of  the  answer ; 
for  when  he  is  asked,  or  when 
he  answers  outside  confession, 
he  is.  considered  as  a  man. 

"  What  if  a  confessor  were  di- 
rectly asked  whether  he  knows 
it  through  sacramental  confes- 
sion ? 

'•A.  In  this  case  he  ought  to 
give  no  answer  (so  Steyart  and 
Sylvius),  but  reject  the  ques- 
tion as  impious :  or  he  could 
even  say  absolutely,  not  rela- 
tively to  the  question,  I  know 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  43 

ego  nihil  scio ;  quia  vox  ego  nothing,  because  the  word  I 
restringit  ad  scientiam  huma-  restricts  to  his  human  knowl- 
nam."  (Dens,  torn,  vi,  p.  228.)  edge."  (Dens,  v.  6,  p.  228.) 

Thus,  in  their  highest  theology,  "perjury"  is  taught 
in  the  plainest  possible  terms.  The  obligation  of  secrecy 
is  "more  binding  than  an  oath,  a  vow,  a  natural  secret, 
etc.,  and  that  ty  the  positive  will  of  God"  So  binding 
is  this  obligation  of  secrecy  in  the  confessional  that 
"  a  case  can  not  be  given  in  which  it  is  lawful  to  break  the 
seal  (that  is,  reveal  the  secrets),  although  the  life  or  safety 
of  a  man  depended  thereon,  or  even  the  destruction  of  the 
Commonwealth!'  What  horrible  corruption  must  there  be 
practiced  in  confession  to  require  such  fearful  obligations 
of  secrecy. 

Reader,  examine  well  this  fiendish  obligation,  and 
understand  if  a  Roman  priest  should  learn  in  the  con- 
fessional that  you  were  to  be  assassinated  in  one  hour, 
he  dare  not  disclose  the  fact  under  less  penalty  than 
"  endless  damnation!'  He  may  be  your  nearest  neighbor ; 
he  may  profess  to  be  your  personal  friend ;  and  you  may 
have  saved  his  life,  or  done  him  a  thousand  favors,  but 
all  are  naught  when  contrasted  with  the  more  binding 
obligation  of  secrecy  in  the  confessional.  If  a  Roman 
priest  should,  through  the  confessional,  learn  that  the 
Congress  Hall  was  to  be  blown  to  atoms  by  gunpowder, 
and  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  (including 
the  Cabinet,  Congress,  and  visitors),  were  to  be  dashed  to 
atoms  in  a  moment,  he  dare  not  reveal  the  fact.  His 
obligation  of  "  eternal  secrecy "  binds  him  to  silence, 


44  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

if  "the  destruction  of  the  Commonwealth  depended 
thereon."  This  fact,  so  emphatically  set  forth  in  moral 
theology,  is  confirmed  in  Roman  ecclesiastical  history. 
Priest  Garnet  was  the  confessor  of  the  conspirators 
engaged  in  the  gunpowder  plot  to  blow  up  the  British 
Parliament,  with  intention  to  destroy  the  royal  family, 
that  Romanists  might  grasp  the  regal  power  and  sub- 
jugate England  to  Rome.  He  knew  all  the  facts;  he 
was  in  the  confidence  of  the  treasonable  conspirators, 
aiding  and  abetting,  until  their  fiendish  plot  was  de- 
tected, and  he  lost  his  life  for  his  perfidy.  When  ar- 
rested and  convicted  by  a  jury  of  his  countrymen,  and 
sentenced  to  be  hung,  drawn,  and  quartered,  accord- 
ing to  British  law  for  treason,  he  still  retained  the 
secrets  of  the  confessional  to  the  last  hour  of  life. 
When  all  hope  had  fled,  and  a  certain  and  terrible  death 
awaited  him  in  a  few  moments,  he,  on  the  scaffold,  ex- 
claimed :  "  As  I  hope  for  salvation,  I  never  was  ac- 
quainted with  this  treasonable  conspiracy  except  through 
the  confessional,  which  I  was  obliged  not  to  reveal." 

This  fact  is  found  on  page  580  of  the  "  History  of 
the  Christian  Church,"  by  Rev.  Joseph  Reeve,  with  the 
approbation  of  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Fitzpatrick,  and 
for  sale  in  the  large  Roman  bookstores  jrenerallv. 

«/ 

St.  Liguori  also,  and  other  saints  of  Rome,  sanc- 
tioned perjury,  to  conceal  the  corrupt  communications  of 
the  confessional. 

In  the  Roman  Calendar  for  1845,  page  167,  we  learn 
that,  preparatory  to  his  canonization,  the  Moral  Theology 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION. 


45 


of  St.  Liguori  had  been  more  than  twenty  times  rigorously 
discussed  by  the  Sacred  Congregation  of  Rights,  which 
decreed  that,  in  all  his  works,  whether  printed  or  in- 
edited,  not  one  word  had  been  found  worth?/  of  censure  ; 
which  decree  was  afterward  confirmed  by  Pope  Pius 
VII.  This  Liguori  was  Cardinal  Wiseman's  favorite 
saint,  and  the  following  are  specimens  of  his  doctrines 
on  the  seal  of  confession,  when  the  priest  or  peni- 
tent is  interrogated  relative .  to  the  secrets  of  the  con- 
fessional : 


"RESPOND  1.  Sigillum  hoc  est 
obligutio  juris  divini  strictis- 
sima  in  omni  causa,  ctiam  quo 
integri  rcgni  salus  periclita- 
retur  ad  taccndum  etiam  post 
mortem  poenitentis  dicta  in 
confessione  (id  est  in  ordinead 
absolutionem  sacramcntalem), 
omnia,  quorum  revelatio  sacra- 
men  turn  rederit  onerosum  vel 
odiosum."  (Liguori,  torn  6,  p. 
276,  n.  634.) 


"  Quseritur  an  confessarius 
interrogatus  de  peccato  poeni- 
tentis possit  dicere  se  illud 
nescire,  etiam  cum  juramento. 
Affirmandum  cum  communi, 
quam  tenent  D.  Thomas." 
(Suppl.,  q.  11.,  art.  1.,  ad  3.) 


"ANSWER  1.  That  this  seal 
is  an  obligation  of  divine  rght, 
most  strict  in  every  case,  even 
where  the  safety  of  a  whole 
nation  would  bo  at  stake,  to 
observe  silence  even  after  the 
death  of  the  penitent  as  to  all 
things  spoken  in  confession 
(that  is,  iii  order  to  obtain  sacra- 
mental absolution),  the  revela- 
tion of  which  would  render 
the  sacrament  itself  grievous 
or  odious."  (Liguori,  vol.  6,  p. 
276,  No.  634.) 

"It  is  asked  whether  the 
confessor,  interrogated  con- 
cerning the  sin  of  his  peni- 
tent, can  say  that  he  does  not 
know  it,  even  with  an  oath. 
It  is  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, in  accordance  with  the 
common  opinion  which  St. 
Thomas  and  others  hold." 
(Supl.,  q.  11.  art.  1  and  3.) 


46 


AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


The  reason  assigned  by  St.  Thomas  is  in  strict  con- 
formity to  the  Jesuit  casuistry  of  Roman  theologians  gen- 
erally, and  is  as  follows  : 


"Homo  non  adducitur  in 
testimonium,  nisi  ut  homo, 
ideo.  .  .  .  potest  jurare  se  nes- 
cire  quod  scit  tantum  ut  Deus, 
(et  hoc,  etiamsi  confessarius  ro- 
gatus  fuerit  ad  respondendum 
non  ut  homo,  sed  prsecipue  ut 
minister  Dei,  prout  recte  siunt 
Saurez  et  prsefati  auctores 
loc.  cit.)j  quia  confessarius 
nullo  modo  scit  peccatum 
scientia  qua  pbssit  uti  ad  re- 
spondendum, unde  juste  as- 
serit  se  nescire  id  quod  sine 
injustitia  nequit  manifestare. 
Vide  dicta  1.  3.  n.  125,  v. 
Hinc.  Quid,  si  insuper  rogetur 
ad  respondendum  sine  aquivo- 
catione?  Adhuc  juramento  cum 
potest  respondere,  se  nescire, 
ut  probabilus  dicunt  Lugo,  n. 
79,  Croix,  1,  c.  cum  Stoz.  et 
Holzm.  num.  722,  cum  Michel, 
contra  alios.  Ratio,  quia  tune 
confessarius  revera  respondet 
secundum  juramentum  factum 
quod  semper  factum  intelligi- 
tur  modo  quo  fieri  poterat, 
nempe  manifestandi  veritatem 
sine  aequivocatione,  sed  sine 
eequivocatione  ilia,  quse  licite 


"A  man  is  not  adduced  in 
testimony  unless  as  a  man; 
therefore,  he  can  swear  that  he 
does  not  know  what  he  knows 
only  as  God  (and  this  holds 
good,  although  a  confessor  may 
have  been  asked  to  give  his 
answer,  not  as  man,  but  es- 
pecially as  minister  of  God,  as 
Suarez  and  the  before  quoted 
authors  rightly  say) ;  because 
a  confessor,  in  no  manner, 
knows  a  sin  with  a  kno\vledge 
which  he  can  use  for  the  pur- 
pose of  answering;  wherefore 
he  justly  asserts  that  he  does 
not  know  that,  which,  without 
injustice,  he  can  not  manifest. 
Hence,  what  if  he  should  be 
asked  to  answer  without  equivo- 
cation f  Even  in  that  case  he  can 
answer  with  an  oath,  that  he  does 
not  know  it;  as,  most  probably, 
Lugo,  Croix,  Stoz.  et  Holzm, 
with  Michel,  teach  against 
others.  The  reason  is,  because 
then  the  confessor  verily  an- 
swers according  to  the  oath 
made,  which  is  always  under- 
stood to  be  made  in  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  was  possible  to 
he  made,  to-wit,  of  manifesting 
the  truth  without  equivoca- 
tion ;  that  is,  without  that 
equivocation  which  lawfully 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION. 


47 


omitti  poterat:  quoad  sequivo- 
cationem  vero  nccessariam,  qua 
non  poterat  omitti  absque  pec- 
cato,  ncc  alter  habet  jus  ut 
sine  sequivocatione  ei  respon- 
deatur,  nee  ideo  confessarius 
tenetur  sine  sequivocatione  re- 
spondere."  (Liguori,  torn.  6, 
n.  646.) 


can  be  omitted.  But  as  to  tho 
necessary  equivocation,  which 
could  not  be  omitted  without 
ein,  the  other  has  not  a  right 
that  an  answer  should  be  given 
to  him  without  equivocation ; 
neither,  moreover,  is  the  con- 
fessor bound  to  answer  with- 
out equivocation."  (Liguori, 
vol.  6,  n.  646.) 


We  have  before  us  ten  volumes  (the  full  set)  of  St. 
Liguori's  Moral  Theology,  from  which  the  Roman  clergy 
are  instructed  as  to  vile  and  indelicate  questions  in  the 
confessional,  and  the  manner  of  concealing  the  facts  by 
equivocation,  falsehood,  and  perjury ;  but,  for  the  present, 
the  above  may  suffice. 

Again,  perjury  is  sanctioned  by  De  la  Hogue,  whose 
works  are  much  esteemed,  and  have  been  in  use  in  the 
Royal  College  of  Maynooth,  where  Irish  priests  are 
drilled  in  the  ritual  of  Auricular  Confession  in  its  filthiest 
details.  He  says: 


"Si  sacerdos  a  magisti'atu 
interrogetur  do  iis  quorum 
notitiam  ex  sola  confessione 
habuit,  respondere  debet  se 
nescire,  immo  hoc  ipsum  jurare 
absque  ullo  mendacii  periculo. 
Ratio  est  juxta  Estium,  quia 
nee  mentitur,  ncc  in  equivoco 
ludit,  qui  ad  mentem,  interro- 
gantis  respondet,  at  nihil  nisi 
vernm  profert;  atqui  ita  se 
habet  Sacerdos  in  prefato  casu, 
namquo  ab  illo  non  qurerit 


"If  a  priest  is  questioned 
by  a  magistrate  as  to  matters 
which  ho  has  learned  from 
confession  alone,  he  ought  to 
reply  that  he  is  ignorant  of 
them;  nay,  he  ought  to  swear 
to  it,  which  he  may  do  without 
any  danger  of  falsehood.  It  is 
added,  on  the  authority  of  Es- 
tius,  that  in  doing  so  he  neither 
lies  nor  equivocates,  since  he 
frames  a  true  reply  to  the  in- 
tention of  the  person  interro- 


48  A  UEICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Judex  quid  scit  via  confessionis  gating  him;  because  the  niag- 
quatenus  Dei  vices  agit,  sed  quid  istrate  does  not  ask  him  what 
noverit,  quatenus  homo,  proin-  he  knows  from  confession  lin 
deque  extra  confessionem."  (De  his  character  as  God,'  but  what 
la  Hogue,  torn.  1,  p.  292.)  he  knows  'in  his  character  as 

man,' without  confession."  (De 
la  Hogue,  vol.  1,  p.  292.) 

Adopting  such  theology  as  this,  what  confidence  can 
be  placed  in  the  word  or  oath  of  a  Roman  priest  or 
bishop?  Under  such  teaching,  whose  character,  prop- 
erty, or  life  may  not  be  sworn  away  from  him  if  the  in- 
terests of  papacy  demand  it. 

The  following  incident  may  illustrate  the  estimate  in 
which  the  laity  hold  the  obligation  of  secrecy  in  the 
confessional,  as  reported  in  the  Nortlnvestern  Christian 
Advocate,  of  1855: 

"A  Roman  Catholic  priest  was  recently  before  a  magistrate 
in  Chicago,  charged  with  beating  and  otherwise  abusing  a 
a  woman,  a  member  of  his  Church,  for  refusing  to  take  her 
children  from  the  free-school  at  his  bidding.  The  defense  set 
up  was,  that  the  transactions  of  the  confessional  were  to  be 
kept  secret;  that  the  woman  knew  this,  and  if  she  should  vi- 
olate this  solemn  obligation  she  was  unworthy  of  belief.  Wit- 
nesses, members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  were  examined,  who 
testified  that,  according  to  the  canons  of  the  Church,  whatever 
insult  a  priest- might  offer  a  woman  at  the  confessional,  she 
was  bound  to  keep  it  secret  from  her  husband." 

After  a  thorough  examination  of  Roman  theology, 
we  are  persuaded  that  the  Roman  clergy  should  not  be 
trusted  under  oath  in  any  matter  involving  the  real  or 
imaginary  interests  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  They 
claim  power  to  absolve  each  other  from  the  obligations 
of  an  oath. 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  49 

This  doctrine  is  also  imparted  to  the  laity,  as  may  be 
seen  by  reference  to  St.  Liguori  on  the  Commandments 
and  Sacraments,  pages  83  and  85  : 

"But  if,  in  a  matter  of  small  moment,  a  person  swore  with 
the  intention  of  performing  his  promise,  but  afterward  did  not 
adhere  to  it,  it  is  probable,  as  several  theologians  say,  that  he 
would  not  be  guilty  of  a  mortal  sin  ;  because  God  is  called  on 
to  attest  the  present  intention,  and  not  the  future  execution  of 
the  promise." 

"How  is  the  obligation  of  an  oath  taken  away?  It  may  be 
taken  away  by  annulment,  by  dispensation,  commutation,  and 
relaxation.  First,  it  may  be  annulled  by  any  one  who  has 
domi native  power,  such  as  a  father,  a  husband,  a  guardian, 
prelate,  or  abbess ;  and,  to  annul  an  oath,  a  just  cause  is  not 
necessary.  Secondly,  by  dispensation  or  commutation ;  and 
such  dispensation  or  commutation  may  be  given  by  the  pope 
or  bishop,  but,  to  grant  a  dispensation  or  commutation,  a  just 
cause  is  required.  Thirdly,  by  p relaxation.  This  may  be  given 
by  the  bishop,  and  by  all  who  have  episcopal  functions." 

These  extracts  are  from  a  common  manual  in  the 
hands  of  the  laity.  It  is  printed  in  plain  English,  to  be 
read  by  all  at  discretion.  The  influence  of  such  teach- 
ing, by  a  professedly  infallible  Church,  on  the  minds  of 
its  subjects,  may  be  easily  inferred. 

The  most  binding  oaths  may  be  violated  with  impu- 
nity, and  with  the  approbation  of  ecclesiastical  superiors. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  principles,  it  is  not 
strange  that  Protestants  have  no  rights  which  a  Roman- 
ist is  under  obligation  to  respect,  except  in  Protestant 
countries,  or  where  papists  are  in  the  minority. 

Oaths  are  but  toys  in  the  hand  of  the  Roman  clergy. 
The  preceding  binding  obligations  of  secrecy  are  not 

4 


50  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

sufficient  to  restrain  them  except  at  pleasure,  and  their 
theology  provides  for  disclosures  where  "  a  just  cause  ex- 
ists" The  evidence  is  before  us,  but  space  will  not 
permit  its  insertion.  The  solemn  and  repeated  declara- 
tion of  secrecy  on  the  part  of  the  clergy  accomplishes, 
at  least,  three  things :  1.  It  tends  to  diminish  the  re- 
straints of  modesty ;  2.  It  lessens  the  probabilities  that 
criminal  intercourse  will  be  exposed ;  3.  It  furnishes  in- 
centives to  yield  to  the  seductive  influences  of  the  con- 
fessional, with  the  assurance  that  the  facts  will  not  come 
to  light,  they  being  known  only  to  the  guilty  parties, 
who  are  supposed  to  be  mutually  interested  to  conceal 
their  shame.  The  confiding  penitent  finds  it  difficult  to 
believe  that  one  so  holy  as  the  father  confessor,  and  act- 
ing as  God  in  the  confessional,  could  so  far  forget  his 
obligation  of  secrecy  as  to  betray  confidence,  or  be  guilty 
of  such  perfidy,  as  to  incur  the  penalty  of  mortal  sin. 
And  such  would  seem  to  be  the  fair  and  logical  inference 
if  things  were  as  they  seem  to  be,  and  if  there  were  not 
facts,  history,  and  theology,  to  the  contrary.  Little  do 
the  confiding  common  people  know  of  the  secret  theology 
and  Jesuit  casuistry  of  the  Roman  clergy ;  little  do  they 
suspect  that  their  humble  and  sincere  confessions  often 
furnish  themes  of  ribaldry  and  jest  in  the  carnivals  and 
bacchanalian  orgies  of  at  least  some  of  their  lordly  con- 
fessors. Dens,  Liguori,  and  St.  Thomas,  each  provide 
that,  under  certain  contingencies,  the  obligation  of  secrecy 
does  not  bind  the  clergy  except  at  discretion,  and  the 
interest  of  the  Church  must  determine  the  matter. 


THE  SEAL  OF  CONFESSION.  51 

The  mystery  of  iniquity  does  not  end  here.  These 
men-Gods,  who,  in  the  court-room  are  men,  and  in  the 
confessional,  Gods,  may,  according  to  their  own  approved 
theology,  not  only  keep  concubines,  but,  under  other  cir- 
cumstances, flagrantly  violate  the  law  of  chastity,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  absolve  their  licentious  accomplices. 

This  fact  will  receive  attention  in  a  subsequent 
chapter. 


52  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CONFESSIONAL. 

T?ACH  church  or  chapel  is  usually  provided  with  a 
•^  confessional,  or  place  for  hearing  confessions,  which 
is  frequently  called  a  confession-box.  The  plainest  form 
is  a  chair  or  seat,  in  a  retired  place,  where  the  penitent 
may  kneel  beside  the  priest  and  whisper  in  his  ear 
through  a  temporary  screen.  This  style  is  not  in  gen- 
eral use  in  this  country.  With  slight  variations  of 
form  and  structure,  they  are  frequently  about  seven  feet 
high,  four  feet  wide,  and  eight  feet  long,  divided  into 
two  equal  apartments  by  a  thin  plank  partition,  extend- 
ing across  the  inclosure.  In  this  partition  is  usually  an 
aperture  with  lattice-work,  or  wicket-gate,  and  sometimes 
both,  about  four  feet  from  the  floor,  through  which  to 
whisper  the  most  obscene  communications  that  ever  pol- 
luted the  lips  of  mortals.  Each  apartment  is  provided 
with  a  small  door,  which  is  usually  closed  with  shutter 
or  curtain.  This  is  a  description  of  the  plain  chapel 
style  of  a  confession-box,  and  intended  to  furnish  a  gen- 
eral idea  of  the  leading  features  of  all.  A  more  aristo- 
cratic style  of  confession-box  may  be  found  in  many  of 
the  larger  churches,  the  exterior  of  which  is  about  as 
large  as  the  above  described  box,  with  the  addition  of 


THE  CONFESSIONAL.  53 

another  partition,  forming  three  small  boxes.  The  cen- 
ter box  is  for  the  priest,  and  the  boxes  at  the  right  and 
the  left  for  the  penitents ;  but  only  one  penitent  should 
enter  at  a  time.  And  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  one 
penitent  hearing  the  confession  of  another,  there  is  a 
shutter  or  sliding  board  in  each  partition,  in  addition  to 
the  lattice-work  or  wicket,  so  that  when  a  penitent  en- 
ters the  box  on  the  right,  the  wicket  on  the  left  is  closed, 
and  the  reverse,  as  the  case  may  require.  The  middle 
box  for  the  priest  is  so  small  that  he,  by  reclining  to  the 
right  or  to  the  left,  can  hear  the  confession  of  a  penitent 
in  either  apartment  of  the  box.  The  penitent  is  required 
to  kneel,  with  the  face  as  near  to  the  priest's  ear  at  the 
wicket  as  possible,  and  communicate  to  the  priest  in  a 
whisper.  The  necessity  for  putting  the  "mouth"  as  near 
the  priest's  ear  as  possible  is  urged  from  the  considera- 
tion that  "some  penitents  commit  a  fault  by  holding 
themselves  far  away  from  the  priest,  or  too  far  to  the 
part  of  the  grate  nearest  the  door  of  the  confessional. 
This  obliges  the  priest  to  hurt  his  back  by  stooping 
forward.  This  should  not  be."  (Star  of  Bethlehem, 
p.  202.) 

It  is  said  to  be  a  mortal  sin  for  a  third  person  to  at- 
tempt to  hear  the  secret  communications  of  the  confes- 
sional. 

Another  style  of  confession-box  is,  when  it  is  built 
solid  in  the  brick  Avail  of  the  building,  and  not  a  ray  of 
light  can  enter  it  except  through  the  shutters  or  curtains- 
of  the  doors.  Confession  may  be  made  at  any  time  OB- 


54  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

place  where  priest  and  penitent  can  communicate  pri- 
vately under  the  obligation  of  eternal  secrecy.  Under 
these  circumstances,  when  the  subjects  discussed  and  the 
nature  of  the  communications  there  made  are  understood, 
it  will  not  be  difficult  to  infer  the  rest.  Let  it  suffice  for 
the  present  to  say,  that  if  such  communications  were 
made  by  females  to  unmarried  men  under  any  other  cir- 
cumstances, they  would  be  excluded  from  decent  society. 
The  evidence  of  this  will  appear  in  the  next  chapter. 

EXAMINATION  OF  CONSCIENCE. 

The  manuals  of  the  Roman  Church,  for  the  guide  of 
the  laity  in  confession,  contain  suggestive  catechetical 
instructions,  by  which  they  .are  required  to  refresh  their 
memory  on  old  subjects  which  may  be  subsequently  dis- 
cussed in  the  confessional,  and  upon  which  they  may  be 
cross-examined  by  the  priest  in  the  confessional,  as  a 
lawyer  would  examine  a  witness  in  court.  And  the 
validity  of  the  confession  is  made  to  depend  upon  the 
fidelity  in  examining  conscience,  and  the  unreserved  dis- 
closures subsequently  made  to  a  bachelor  priest  in  the 
dark,  secluded  sentry-box,  commonly  known  as  the  confes- 
sional. As  a  specimen  we  select  a  few  questions  for  the 
examination  of  conscience  on  the  Sixth  Commandment  in 
the  Douay  Bible,  which  is  properly  the  Seventh  Com- 
mandment, "  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery."  (It  is 
called  the  Sixth  Commandment  in  the  "Garden  of  the 
Soul,"  and  in  other  popish  books,  on  account  of  their 
omission  of  the  second,  which  forbids  the  worship  of 


THE  CONFESSIONAL.  55 

images  or  idols.  They  make  up  the  number — ten — by 
dividing  the  tenth  into  two.)  These  questions  are  trans- 
scribed  verbatim  et  literatim,  with  the  omission  of  portions 
of  two,  which  are  calculated  to  suggest  modes  of  pollu- 
tion and  crime  that  otherwise  a  pure-minded  person 
would  never  think  of.  The  questions  are  printed  in 
plain  English,  in  a  popular  book  of  devotion,  issued  under 
the  direct  approbation  of  the  most  celebrated  Romish 
archbishop  of  America,  and  to  be  found  in  the  hands  of 
intelligent  Romanists  generally;  and  it  is  but  right  that 
Protestants,  and  especially  those  who  send  their  daughters 
to  Roman  seminaries  or  convents,  should  know  the  kind 
of  questions  that  will  be  proposed  by  the  priests,  in  the 
secret  confessional,  to  their  wives  and  daughters,  in  case 
they  should  be  induced  to  embrace  the  religion  of  Rome. 
I  must  be  excused  for  omitting  the  most  indecent 
portions  of  the  two  vilest  questions  of  the  filthy  list. 
No  decent  man  dare  pollute  with  them  pages  to  be  read 
by  the  people  generally.  The  work  in  which  they  are 
found  is  but  one  of  a  class  of  books  which  may  be  pro- 
cure.d  at  the  Roman  book-stores  generally.  The  work  is 
stereotyped,  catalogued,  and  sold  throughout  the  United 
States.  The  copy  before  us  bears  date  1871,  and  is  pub- 
lished in  "  New  York  by  D.  &  J.  Sadlier  &  Co.,  31  Bar- 
clay street."  It  is  the  "  enlarged  "  American  edition,  with 
the  approbation  of  Dr.  Hughes,  in  the  words  following  : 

" '  THE  GARDEN  OP  THE  SOUL'  HAVING  BEEN  DULY  EXAMINED, 
WE  HEREBY  APPROVE  OP  ITS  PUBLICATION. 

"f  JOHN,  ARCHBISHOP  OP  NEW  YORK," 


56  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

'which   is   the    usual    official   signature    of   that    distin- 
guished prelate. 

The  following  are  the  questions,  as  found  on  pages 
213  and  214  : 

"VI.  Have  you  been  guilty  of  fornication,  or  adultery,  or 
incest,  or  any  sin  against  nature,  either  with  a  person  of  the 
same  sex,  or  with  any  other  creature?  How  often  ?  Or  have 
you  designed,  or  attempted  any  such  sin,  or  sought  to  induce 
others  to  it?  How  often? 

"Have  you  Jbeen  guilty  of  self  pollution?  or  of  immodest 
touches  of  yourself?  How  often  ? 

"Have  you  touched  others,  or  permitted  yourself  to  be 
touched  by  othei's,  immodestly?  or  given  or  taken  wanton 
kisses  or  embraces,  or  any  such  liberties  ?  How  often  ? 

"Have  you  looked  at  immodest  objects  with  pleasure  or 
danger?  read  immodest  books  or  songs  to  yourselves  or  others? 
kept  indecent  pictures?  willingly  given  ear  to,  and  taken  plea- 
sure in  hearing,  loose  discourse,  etc.?  or  sought  to  see  or  hear 
any  thing  that  was  immodest?  Ho\v  often? 

"Have  you  exposed  yourself  to  wanton  company?  or  played 
at  any  indecent  play?  or  frequented  masquerades,  balls,  come 
dies,  etc.?  with  danger  to  your  chastity?  How  often  ? 

"Have  you  been  guilty  of  immodest  discourses,  wanton 
stories,  jests,  or  songs,  or  words  of  double  meaning?  How 
often?  and  before  how  many?  and  were  the  persons  to  whom 
you  spoke  or  sung  married  or  single?  For  all  this  you  are 
obliged  to  confess,  by  reason  of  the  evil  thoughts  these  things 
are  apt  to  create  in  the  hearers: 

Have  you  abused  the  marriage  bed  by or 

by   any   pollutions?    or   been    guilty   of  any   irregularity   in 
order?     .....     How  often  ? 

"Have  you.  without  a  just  cause,  refused  the  marriage  debt? 
and  what  sin  followed  from  it?  How  often? 

"Have  you  debauched  any  person  that  was  innocent  before? 
Have  you  forced  any  person,  or  deluded  any  one  by  deceitful 
promises?  etc.,  or  designed  or  desired  to  do  so?  How  often? 
You  are  obliged  to  make  satisfaction  for  the  injury  you  have 
done. 


THE  CONFESSIONAL.  57 

"Have  you  taught  any  one  evil  that  he  knew  not  of  before? 
or  carried  any  one  to  lewd  houses?  etc.  How  often?'' 

On  page  216  : 

"IX.  Have  you  willingly  taken  pleasure  in  unchaste  thoughts 
or  imaginations?  or  entertained  unchaste  desires?  "VVero  the 
objects  of  your  desires  maids  or  married  persons,  or  kinsfolks, 
or  persons  consecrated  to  God?  How  often? 

"Have  you  taken  pleasure  in  the  irregular  motions  of  the 
flesh?  or  not  endeavored  to  resist  them?  How  often? 

"Have  you  entertained,  with  pleasure,  the  thoughts  of  say- 
ing or  doing  any  thing  which  it  would  be  a  sin  to  say  or  do? 
How  often  ? 

"Have  you  had  the  desire  or  design  of  committing  any  sin? 
of  what  sin?  How  often?" 

Vile  as  these  questions  are,  they  are  but  as  the 
shadow  to  the  substance,  compared  with  the  questions 
in  the  confessional,  and  to  the  instructions  in  the  secret 
Latin  theology  of  the  Uoman  clergy,  now  before  us. 
These  questions,  when  contrasted  with  the  original,  are 
white  as  the  paper  on  which  we  write  in  contrast  with 
the  ink.  We  dare  not  specify  the  facts ;  and  the  most 
vivid  imagination  can  not  do  justice  to  the  subject.  Let 
any  linguist  take  the  Moral  Theology  of  Dens,  Kenrick, 
Liguori,  St.  Thomas,  and  other  approved  theological 
works,  which  are  before  us,  and  which  are  now  the  guide 
of  the  clergy  in  the  confessional  and  in  other  duties,  and 
they  will  exclaim  :  "  The  half  has  never  been  told  ;"  nor 
can  it  be,  without  violating  every  principle  of  decency 
and  instinct  of  virtue.  It  is  doubtless  true  that  the 
promiscuous  circulation  of  these  vile  theological  books 
would  corrupt  any  brothel  on  the  continent.  If  nny  man 
of  mature  years  doubts  these  facts,  let  him  examine  the 


58  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

original,  under  the  general  captions  :  "De  usu  Conjugii," 
"De  Luxuria,"  "De  Peccatis  Carnalibus  Conjuguin  inter 
se,"  "  De  Absolutione  Complicis,"  "  De  justis  causis  per- 
mittendi  Motus  Sensualitatis,"  and  kindred  subjects 
which  are  discussed  in  the  most  minute  and  disgusting 
details,  and  his  doubts  will  vanish.  We  have  repeatedly 
compelled  priests,  in  presence  of  large  congregations  of 
men  alone,  to  admit  the  books  and  facts,  and  the  justness 
of  our  published  extracts  and  translations.  Some  of  the 
best  linguists  on  this  continent  have  heard  our  secret 
lecture  to  men,  and  have  compared  the  "  extracts  "  with 
the  original;  they  have  declared  the  original  books 
genuine,  the  extracts  fair,  the  translations  literal,  and 
our  strictures  just. 

The  communications  with  females  in  the  confessional 
are  not  in  a  dead  language,  nor  in  doubtful  and  obscure 
suggestions;  but  often  in  the  most  obscene  vernacular 
tongue.  Modesty  is  no  protection.  All  sins  must  le 
confessed,  and  all  questions  propounded  by  the  confessor 
must  be  promptly  answered,  otherwise  the  confession  is 
a  nullity,  and*  absolution  refused ;  thus  leaving  the  pen- 
itent in  mortal  sin,  and  every  moment  exposed  to  die  and 
be  damned  forever. 

The  confiding  penitent  is  a  helpless  victim  in  the 
hands  of  an  artful  seducer,  whose  will  is  law,  whose  ab- 
solution is  pardon,  and  whose  displeasure  may  incur 
eternal  perdition.  No  mother's  eye  can  guard  the  timid, 
confiding  daughter  in  the 'confessional.  Her  innocent, 
inexperienced,  and  confiding  soul  trembling  before  the 


THE  CONFESSIONAL.  59 

august  presence  of  one  whom  she  is  taught  to  believe  is 
God  in  the  confessional,  and  infallible  in  his  instruction, 
how  dare  she  resent  an  insult,  or  spurn  his  lecherous  en- 
croachments? 0,  that  mothers  could  comprehend  the 
danger  of  thus  exposing  the  virture  of  their  innocent 
daughters ! 

Then,  the  virtuous  wife,  in  the  absence  of  her  hus- 
band, father,  or  brother,  cloistered  in  a  dark  corner, 
under  obligations  of  "eternal  secrecy,"  and  exposed  to 
"endless  damnation"  if  she  reveals,  is  compelled  to  an- 
swer questions  which  would  seem  sufficient  to  crimson 
the  face  of  a  devil,  and  "turn  the  cheek  of  darkness 
pale."  0  insulted  virtue,  hast  thou  no  protector ! 

These  disclosures  challenge  investigation,  and  if  not 
true  they  are  grossly  slanderous,  and  we  ought  to  be 
indicted  for  publishing  them.  Let  the  Roman  clergy 
accept  the  issue  if  they  dare,  and  we  will  compel  them, 
on  the  witness-stand,  to  translate  worse  things  from  their 
own  theology,  under  oath. 

If  priests  are  not  corrupters  of  society  and  the  de- 
spoilers  of  virtue,  it  is  because  they  are  better  than  their 
system  of  theology  requires  them  to  be. 

To  Protestant  minds  these  startling  facts  may  cause 
surprise,  and  some  one  may  exclaim,  Can  it  be  possible 
that  such  things  notv  exist?  We  emphatically  answer, 
Yes;  it  is  not  only  possible,  but  is  absolutely  certain, 
that  this  corrupt  system  exists  in  our  midst,  with  the 
knowledge  and  approbation  of  the  Pope  and  his  clergy; 
and  that  papal  laws  and  edicts  stand  unrepealed  for  the 


60  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

extermination  of  heretics  who  deny  that  the  confessional 
is  by  divine  appointment;  and  the  Council  of  Trent 
plainly  says,  Let  them  be  "accursed" 

To  become  a  consistent  Romanist,  the  first  step  is  to 
surrender  unconditionally  the  right  of  forming  or  ex- 
pressing an  opinion  relative  to  faith  and  doctrine,  and 
blindly  submit  to  the  dictation  and  domination  of  eccle- 
siastical superiors.  Reason  and  common-sense  must  be 
stultified,  facts  and  evidence  ignored,  before  judgment 
and  conscience  will  ever  become  the  passive  dupes  of 
authority.  This  accounts  in  part  for  the  acceptance  of 
many  absurdities  taught  by  the  Roman  Church,  and 
practiced  by  people  who  are  otherwise  intelligent.  The 
fear  of  heresy,  and  its  penalties,  puts  a  quietus  on  many 
otherwise  troubled  minds  and  consciences. 

Heresy  is  thus  defined : 

"  Q.   "What  vice  is  opposite  to  faith? 

*?  A.   Heresy. 

"  Q.   What  is  heresy? 

"A.   It  is  an  obstinate  error  in  matters  of  faith. 

"INSTRUC. — He  is  a  heretic  who  obstinately  maintains  any 
thing  contrary  to  the  known  faith  and  doctrine  of  the  holy 
Catholic  Church."  (Poor  Man's  Catechism,  p.  10.) 

"A  heretic  is  one  \vho  has  an  opinion;  for  such  is  tho 
etymology  of  the  word.  What  is  understood  by  having  an 
opinion  is,  following  one's  fancy  and  particular  sentiment.  A 
Catholic,  without  maintaining  any  particular  sentiment,  fol- 
lows unhesitatingly  the  doctrine  of  the  Church."  (Garden  of 
the  Soul,  p.  392.) 

Also,  "TJrsuline  Manual,"  page  504. 

This  blind  submission  is  not  discretionary  on  the  part 


THE  CONFESSIONAL.  61 

of  the  victim.     It  is,  in  Roman  countries,  imperious  and 

unconditional.    Property,  character,  and  life  often  depend 

> 
upon  it;  and,  above  all,  the  salvation  of  the  soul,  or  its 

utter  ruin.  Under  these  circumstances,  faith  is  the  crea- 
ture of  authority,  and  implicit  obedience  the  perfection 
of  piety. 

In  this  country,  the  charge  of  heresy,  or  insubordi- 
nation to  the  Roman  clergy,  subjects  the  person  to  ex- 
communication from  the  Church,  proscription,  and  perse- 
cution by  the  priest  and  his  congregation.  And  this 
cruel  persecution  is  enforced  through  the  confessional, 
often  to  the  great  injury  of  business,  person,  and  property. 

Connected  with  this,  the  influence  of  education,  often 
from  infancy,  and  association,  must  be  taken  into  the 
account.  Thus  hedged  in  by  canon  laws,  decrees  of 
councils,  education,  and  association  under  the  vigilant 
eye  of  an  ecclesiastical  dictator  who  is  authorized  to 
search  out  all  secrets  in  the  confessional,  how  abject  the 
servitude,  how  helpless  the  victim! 

Doubtless,  many  of  the  laity  are  to  be  pitied  more 
than  blamed;  but  who  can  sufficiently  execrate  their 
destroyers,  who  are  presumed  to  be  men  of  too  much 
intelligence  to  be  duped  by  their  own  devices?  In  the 
darker  ages,  they  might  have  claimed  some  apology,  but 
not  now;  and,  especially  in  this  Protestant  country,  they 
are  inexcusable. 

If  any  other  class  of  men  or  ministers  were  known 
to  have  such  communications  with  females  as  that  prac- 
ticed by  the  Roman  clergy,  they  would  be  spurned  as 


62  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

corrupters  of  society,  and  shunned  as  debauchers  of  the 
virtuous  and  innocent.  How  is  it,  and  why  is  it,  that 
such  unblushing  abominations  have  so  long  escaped  mer- 
ited rebuke  ?  It  must  be  from  a  want  of  information  on 
this  subject. 

The  facts  are  so  astounding  that  men  of  intelligence, 
and  often  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  with  the  secret  theol- 
ogy of  the  Roman  clergy  in  their  hands,  authenticated 
by  the  most  positive  evidence,  have  exclaimed  :  "  Is  it 
possible!  I  never  had  the  most  remote  conception  that 
such  things  are  now  practiced  in  our  midst."  And  the 
facts  can  not  be  successfully  denied. 


SINS,  MORTAL  AND   VENIAL.  63 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL. 

TJOMAN  theologians  classify  sins  under  two  general 
'   divisions,  usually  denominated  mortal  and  venial,  by 
•\yhich  they  mean  large  and  small  sins. 

Mortal  (large)  sins  must  be  confessed;  venial  (small) 
sins  may  or  may  not  be  confessed.  The  former  can  only 
be  forgiven  by  the  clergy;  the  latter  may  be  forgiven  by 
holy  water,  the  eucharist,  penance,  and  various  other 
appliances,  not  excepting  purgatorial  fire. 

Original  sin,  which  precedes  both,  is  washed  away  by 
baptism  from  both  infants  and  adults;  consequently,  does 
not  legitimately  come  within  the  sphere  of  Auricular 
Confession. 

In  approved  moral  theology  and  catechisms,  sins  are 
defined  as  follows: 

"What  is  mortal  sin? 

"  It  is  that  which  of  itself  entails  spiritual  death  upon  the 
soul. 

"What  is  venial  sin? 

"That  which  does  not  entail  spiritual  death  upon  the  soul." 
(Dens,  vol.  1,  No.  153.) 

This  distinguished  theologian  devotes  not  less  than 
twenty-one  chapters  to  this  important  definition,  marking 
the  nice  distinctions  and  intricacies  between  mortal  and 


64  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

venial  sins,  and  leaves  the  subject  about  as  clear  as 
when  he  found  it. 

The  156th  number  commences  with  the  following 
words : 

"Although  mortal  sin  is  fur  removed  from^venial  sin,  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  discover,  jind  very  dangerous  to  define 
which  is  mortal  and  which  venial;  so  that  these  are  matters 
which  ought  to  be  considered,  not  by  a  human,  but  a  divine, 
mind." 

This  divine  mind,  in  his  conception,  evidently  belongs 
to  Roman  theologians,  which  is  shown  by  the  fact  that, 
immediately  after  this  avowal  of  the  difficulty  and  dan- 
ger of  the  enterprise,  he  wrote  twenty  chapters  relative 
to  a  definition  of  the  difference.  If  it  be  thus  difficult 
for  a  learned  Doctor  of  Divinity  to  distinguish  between 
mortal  and  venial  sins,  what  must  be  the  condition  of  the 
common  people,  who  have  not  access  to  these  profound 
theological  dissertations?  How  shall  they  know  what 
sins  are  mortal  and  what  sins  are  not,  what  sins  to  con- 
fess and  what  not  confess?  This  distinction  without  a 
difference  has  been  a  source  of  much  perplexity  to  hair- 
splitting Roman  theologians,  and  has  caused  them  to 
darken  counsel  by  a  multitude  of  words. 

"  Q.  What  is  mortal  sin? 

"  A.  Mortal  sin  is  that  which  kills  the  soul,  and  deserves  hell, 

"  Q.  How  does  mortal  sin  kill  the  soul? 

"  A.  Mortal  sin  kills  the  soul  by  destroying  the  life  of  the 
soul,  which  is  the  grace  of  God. 

"  Q.  What  is  venial  sin? 

"A.  Venial  sin  is  that  which  does  not  kill  the  soul,  yet  dis- 
pleases God."  (General  Catechism,  p.  18.) 


SINS,  MOR1AL  AND  VENIAL.  65 

"  Q-    What  if  one  willfully  conceal  a  mortal  sin  in  confession? 

"  A.  He  who  conceals  a  mortal  sin  in  confession  commits  a 
great  sin  by  telling  a  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  makes  his 
confession  worthless. 

"  Q-  What  must  we  do  that  we  may  not  be  guilty  of  leaving 
out  sins  in  confession? 

"A.  That  we  may  not  be  guilty  of  leaving  out  sins  in  con- 
fession, we  must  carefully  examine  our  consciences  upon  the 
Ten  Commandments,  the  seven  deadly  sins,  etc."  (p.  41.) 

u  Q.  How  many  are  the  chief  mortal  sins,  commonly  called 
capital  and  deadly  sins? 

"  A.  Seven :  Pride,  Covetousness,  Lust,  Anger,  Gluttony, 
Envy,  Sloth. 

"  Q.  Where  shall  they  go  who  die  in  mortal  sin? 

"A.   To  hell,  for  all  eternity. 

"  Q.   Where  do  they  go  who  die  in  venial  sin? 

"A.    To  purgatory."     (Butler's  Catechism,  p.  27.) 

These  are  specimens  of  mortal  sins  which  may  be 
enlarged  indefinitely.  It  is  a  mortal  sin  to  read  the 
Bible,  to  attend  a  Protestant  Church,  or  to  read  books 
published  by  Protestants,  or  to  form  opinions  contrary 
to  the  known  faith  and  doctrine  of  the  Roman  Church. 
It  is  a  mortal  sin  to  join  the  Odd  Fellows  or  Masons,  or 
any  forbidden  society.  It  is  a  mortal  sin  not  to  confess 
and  jt?o^  the  priest. 

Falsehood,  perjury,  theft,  arson,  and  murder,  may  or 
may  not  be  charged  as  mortal  sins.  Circumstances  must 
determine  these  matters.  It  is  as  true  now  in  that  sys- 
tem as  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Inquisition,  that  the  end 
sanctifies  the  means.  The  greater  good  to  the  Church  of 
Rome  must  decide  these  vexed  questions. 

This  distinction  between  mortal  and  venial  sins  fur- 
nishes a  wide  field  for  Romanist  casuistry,  and  leaves 

5 


66  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

the  confiding  penitent  in  doubt  as  to  his  present  condi- 
tion, and  his  final  destiny.  Mortal  sins  only  must  be 
confessed.  The  Council  of  Trent  says,  Chapter  V,  16 : 

"For  venial  offenses,  by  which  we  are  not  excluded  from 
the  grace  of  God,  and  into  which  we  so  frequent'}'  fall,  may 
be  concealed  without  fault,  and  expiated  in  many  other  ways." 

Mortal  sins,  even  of  thought,  make  men  children  of 
wrath,  and  enemies  of  God,  and  must  be  exposed  in 
minute  detail,  with  all  the  attendant  circumstances  which 
may  aggravate  or  palliate  the  offense.  And  for  this  the 
Council  of  Trent  assigns  the  following  reason  : 

"It  is  plain  that  the  priests  can  not  sustain  the  office  of 
judge,  if  the  cause  be  unknown  to  them;  or  inflict  equitable 
punishments,  if  sins  are  only  confessed  in  general,  and  not 
minutely  and  individually  described.  For  this  reason  it  fol- 
lows that  penitents  are  bound  to  rehearse  in  confession  all 
mortal  sins,  of  which,  after  diligent  examination  of  themselves, 
they  are  conscious,  even  though  they  be  of  the  most  secret  kind, 
and  only  committed  against  the  two  last  precepts  of  the  Deca- 
logue, etc.  .  .  .  Moreover,  it  follows,  that  even  those 
circumstances  which  alter  the  species  of  sin  are  to  be  explained 
in  confession,  since  otherwise  the  penitents  can  not  fully  con- 
fess their  sins,  nor  the  judge  know  them."  (Ch.  v.) 

"Though  the  priest's  absolution  is  the  dispensation  of  a 
benefit  which  belongs  to  another,  yet  it  is  not  to  be  considered 
as  merely  a  ministry,  whether  to  publish  the  Gospel  or  to  de- 
clare the  remission  of  sins,  but  as  of  the  nature  of  a  judicial  act, 
in  which  sentence  is  pronounced  by  him  as  a  JUDGE."  (Ch.  6,  of 
the  Minister.) 

The  priest  who  hears  confession  is  represented  as  sit- 
ting in  the  tribunal  of  penance  as  Christ  himself,  as  a 
judge  forgiving  sins  and  inflicting  punishment.  This  is 
the  orthodox  faith  of  the  Church,  and  when  denied,  is 


SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL.  67 

the  result  of  ignorance,  or  a  matter  of  expediency  to 
conceal  the  facts.     The  Catechism  of  Trent  says : 

"The  absolution  of  the  priest,  which  is  expressed  in  words, 
seals,  therefore,  the  remission  of  sins  which  it  accomplishes  in 
the  soul."  (P.  180.) 

"Unlike  the  authority  given  to  the  priests  of  the  Old  Law, 
to  declare  the  leper  cleansed  from  his  leprosy,  the  power  with 
which  the  priests  of  the  New  Law  are  invested  is  not  simply  to 
declare  that  sins  are  forgiven,  but,  as  the  ministers  of  God, 
really  to  absolve  from  sin ;  a  power  which  God  himself,  the  au- 
thor and  source  of  grace  and  justification,  exercises  through 
their  ministry."  (P.  182.) 

"There  is  no  sin,  however  enormous,  or  however  frequently 
repeated,  which  penance  does  not  remit."  (P.  183.) 

"The  voice  of  the  priest,  who  is  legitimately  constituted  a 
minister  for  the  remission  of  sins,  is  to  be  heard  as  that  of  Christ 
himself,  who  said  to  the  lame  man  '  Son,  be  of  good  cheer,  thy 
sins  are  forgiven  thee.'  "  (P.  189.) 

This  may  all  seem  clear  to  those  who  may  not  investi- 
gate, and  who  dare  not  doubt;  but  what  are  the  facts, 
and  where  is  the  evidence  to  sustain  them  ?  In  this  sys- 
tem things  are  assumed  which  most  need  proof  to  sus- 
tain them. 

"Where  is  the  evidence  that  priests,  either  good  or 
bad,  can  infallibly  discriminate  between  mortal  and 
venial  sins,  and,  as  God,  grant  judicial  pardon,  or  retain 
sin  ?  And  what  presumptuous  mortal  dare  assert  that 
to  violate  the  moral  law  and  offend  an  infinite  God  is 
only  a  venial  sin?  Who  shall  decide  this  momentous 
question,  involving  the  destiny  of  immortal  souls  ? 

Where  is  the  authority  from  the  Bible  for  this  absurd 
division  of  sins  into  mortal  and  venial — the  former  de- 
serving endless  punishment,  and  the  latter  temporal 


68  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

punishment;  the  former  only  forgiven  by  a  Roman  priest, 
the  latter  by  other  devices,  including  holy  water,  the 
eucharist,  penance,  and  purgatorial  fire?  We  are  in- 
formed that  there  are  just  "seven  chief  mortal  sins :" 
"Pride,"  " covetousness,"  "lust,"  "anger,"  "gluttony," 
"  envy,"  "  sloth."  Now,  this  is  true,  or  it  is  not  true. 
If  true,  the  evidence  of  its  truthfulness  will  be  found  in 
the  Bible.  So  important  a  matter  will  not  be  left  to  in- 
ference or  conjecture.  It  is  a  personal  matter  with 
every  intelligent  being  on  earth.  One  mistake  here,  ac- 
cording to  this  doctrine,  may  destroy  the  soul  forever. 

But  it  is  a  singular  fact  that  inspired  men,  engaged 
in  writing, the  Scriptures  during  a  period  of  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  years,  and  discussing  sin  in  all  its  forms 
and  phases,  never  made  this  modern  discovery  relative 
to  the  great  distinction  between  mortal  and  venial  sins. 
They  never  marked  the  line  of  distinction  where  venial 
sin  becomes  mortal,  or  the  finite  becomes  infinite.  This 
important  omission  has  been  a  great  source  of  annoyance 
to  Roman  theologians,  and  will  probably  so  continue  till 
their  system  of  theology  changes  for  the  better,  or  till  it 
is  numbered  with  the  things  of  the  past.  How  the  Ro- 
man clergy  ascertained  that  there  were  seven  mortal  sins, 
we  are  not  informed ;  we  have  this  assertion,  and 
nothing  more.  But  at  every  step  we  encounter  diffi- 
culty. Pride,  for  example,  is  a  deadly  sin.  Is  every 
degree  of  pride  deadly  or  mortal  sin  ?  If  so,  all  who  are 
not  perfect  in  humility  are  constantly  living  in  mortal 
sin.  If  this  be  true,  how  many  of  the  clergy  would  be 


SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL.  69 

free  from  mortal  sin  for  one  hour  ?  Would  the  Pope  of 
Rome  escape  ?  But  if  every  degree  of  pride  is  not  mor- 
tal sin,  in  what  degree  must  it  exist  before  it  becomes 
deadly  ?  When  does  it  pass  that  undefined,  intangible 
line  which  separates  the  venial  from  the  mortal  sins  ? 
Echo  answers,  where?  Here  we  are  left  in  the  dark. 
All  is  indefinite. 

Again,  we  are  informed  that  covetousness  is  a  deadly 
sin.  Is  every  degree  of  it  so?  If  not,  what  degree  is? 
The  same  questions  may  be  asked  relative  to  the  whole 
seven  mortal  sins,  and  no  definite  answer  given.  The 
division  of  sin  into  mortal  and  venial  is  absurd.  After 
all,  if  the  list  of  mortal  sins  be  admitted,  we  are  not  sure 
that  it  is  complete.  Lying  and  stealing  are  usually  re- 
garded as  sins.  Is  every  lie  a  mortal  sin  ?  If  so,  what 
would  become  of  the  clergy  ?  And  if  not,  how  many 
lies  constitute  a  mortal  sin?  Th&  Bible  says:  "Thou 
shalt  not  steal."  But  some  persons  do  steal,  which  is  a 
positive  violation  of  the  law  of  God.  Is  every  theft  a 
mortal  sin  ?  Or  is  the  violation  of  a  commandment  of 
the  Decalogue  only  a  small  sin  which  may  be  washed 
away  by  a  few  drops  of  holy-water,  or  a  few  alms-deeds, 
or  a  little  penance  ?  Here  St.  Liguori  answers  this  ques- 
tion conditionally.  He  says  of  the  thief: 

"  If  he  has  taken  a  valuable  material  at  any  one  time,  he 
has  sinned  mortally  at  that  time.  But  if  lie  has  stolen  a  small 
amount  at  different  times,  then  he  has  not  sinned  mortally, 
unless  it  amount  to  a  valuable  quantity;  provided  that  from 
the  beginning  he  had  not  the  intention  of  reaching  a  valuable 
amount;  but  since  that  amount  has  now  become  considerable 


70  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

(gravis),  although  he  has  not  sinned  mortally,  jet  he  is  bound — 
sub-gravi — under  mortal  sin,  to  restitution,  at  least  of  that  last 
quantity  which  constituted  the  amount  considerable." 

According  to  this  distinguished  theologian  and  saint, 
a  man  may  steal  small  quantities  without  being  guilty 
of  mortal  sin  ;  and  when  goods  or  money  stolen  amount 
to  a  considerable  sum  (the  language  is  indefinite),  'he  is 
bound  to  restore  the  last  quantity  stolen.  Of  course  he 
may  keep  the  rest,  and  only  be  guilty  of  a  venial  sin, 
which  is  a  small  matter,  and  may,  or  may  not,  be  men- 
tioned in  the  confessional.  Again  he  says  : 

"But  probably  those  who  have  eaten  fruit  in  the  vineyards 
of  others,  provided  they  be  not  rare,  or  of  great  price,  nuiy  be 
excused,  at  least  from  mortal  sin,  if  they  do  not  carry  it  away 
in  large  quantities.  For  in  things  of  this  kind,  which  are'too 
little  expounded,  a  greater  quantity  is  required  to  constitute  a 
valuable  amount.  And  in  this  way  men-servants  and  maid- 
servants may  be  easily  excused,  who  take  from  their  master's 
tables,  provided  they  be  not  in  large  quantities,  or  extraordi- 
nary. Neither  ought  those  to  be  regarded  as  guilty  of  mortal 
sin  who  cut  wood,  or  take  their  flocks  to  feed  in  the  fields  of 
the  community,  tfiough  it  be  prohibited,  because  such  prohibi- 
tions are  supposed  to  be  penal/' 

Stealing  is,  therefore,  admissible,  provided  it  is  not  in 
large  quantities  at  one  time.  It  is  a  small  matter  for 
servants  to  steal,  provided  they  do  not  take  too  much  at 
one  time  (which  might  lead  to  their  detection).  This 
possibly  may,  in  part,  account  for  the  incessant  small 
stealing  for  which  many  of  their  servants  are  so  noto- 
rious. Again : 

"When  thefts  are  committed  by  children,  or  by  wives,  a 
much  greater  quantity  is  required  to  constitute  the  sin  mortal; 


SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL.  71 

and  rarely  are  these  held  under  strong  obligation  (gravi  obli- 
gations') to  restore." 

Comment  is  useless ;  theft  is  sanctioned,  and  the 
amount  indefinite.  It  is  a  much  greater  quantity  than  some 
other  quantity,  but  no  definite  specification  in  either  case. 

Again  : 

"If  he  [the  thief]  can  not  make  restitution  without  reduc- 
ing himself  to  severe  want;  that  is,  without  falling  from  that 
state  which  he  lias  juslly  acquired,  then  he  may  defer  restitu- 
tion, provided  the  loser  be  not  in  severe  want.  Nay,  though 
the  loser  be  in  severe  want,  probably  even  then  the  debtor  is 
not  bound  to  restitution,  when  he  is  likewise  in  severe  want, 
and  by  restitution  would  be  placed,  as  it  were,  in  extreme 
necessity.  This,  however,  is  understood,  provided  the  thing 
stolen  does  not  exist  in  species,  and  provided  the  loser  was  not 
reduced  particularly  by  the  theft  to  that  severe  necessity." 

Circumstances  must  determine  whether  the  property 
stolen  must  be  restored. 

"If  the  theft  is  uncertain,  that  is,  if  the  person  injured  is 
uncertain,  the  penitent  is  bound  to  restore,  either  by  causing 
masses  to  be  said,  or  giving  alms  to  the  poor,  or  giving  it  to 
pious  places;  and  if  he  is  poor,  he  may  apply  it  to  himself  or 
his  family.  But  if  the  person  is  certain,  restitution  should  be 
made  to  him:  wherefore  it  is  indeed  wonderful  that  there  are 
found  so  many  confessors  so  unskillful,  who,  when  it  is  known 
•who  the  loser  is,  impose  on  their  penitents,  that  for  the  thing 
to  be  restored  they  should  give  alms,  or  cause  masses  to  be 
celebrated." 

Here  is  a  genuine  Roman  Catholic  process  of  restitu- 
tion. A  theft  has  been  perpetrated  by  a  Romanist,  and 
the  fact  known  to  the  priest — is  the  thief  denounced,  or 
excluded  from  the  Church  ?  No.  If  he  is  not  certain 
as  to  the  person  injured,  he  is  bound  to  restore,  either  by 
causing  masses  to  be  said,  or  giving  alms  to  the  poor,  or  giv- 


72  AURICULAR  COXFESSIOX  EXPOSED. 

ing  it  to  pious  places.  That  is,  in  plain  English,  give  it 
to  the  priests.  This  is  not  only  authorizing  theft,  but 
requiring  the  thief  to  divide  with  the  priest.  And  facts 
may  be  exhibited  to  show  that  this  villainous  practice  is 
now  sanctioned,  and  furnishes  a  source  of  revenue  to 
the  Roman  Church.  Among  the  thousands  of  lioman 
Catholics  annually  convicted  of  theft,  who  throng  the 
house  of  correction,  the  county  jail,  and  State-prison,  not 
one  in  a  thousand  was  ever  known  to  make  restitution 
to  a  Protestant.  The  question  arises,  What  becomes  of 
the  property?  Does  the  thief  appropriate  it  to  his  own 
use,  and  conceal  the  fact  from  the  priest  in  confession? 
If  so,  how  can  the  priest  grant  valid  absolution  ?  Or 
does  he  confess,  and  pay  it  to  the  priest  for  masses  ?  Or 
do  they  divide  the  stolen  property  between  them? 
These  are  nice  points  in  Romish  theology,  and  Protest- 
ants demand  answers. 

What  right  has  a  priest,  more  than  any  other  man,  to 
conceal  stolen  property,  or  to  appropriate  it  to  his  own 
use,  or  that  of  his  Church  ?  This  subject  requires  inves- 
tigation, and  justice  demands  that,  where  a  confessing 
Catholic  is  convicted  of  theft,  and  does  not  make  restitu- 
tion, the  priest  should  be  held  for  his  knowledge  of  the 
crime  and  complicity  in  the  act.  The  priest  has  knowl- 
edge of  the  crime,  or  he  has  not.  If  he  has  nof,  all  his 
pretended  absolutions  are  impositions,  and  he  is  obtaining 
money  under  false  pretense.  If  he  has  knowledge  of  the 
crime,  he  knows  where  the  stolen  property  is,  and  to 
whom  it  belongs,  and  if  he  does  not  restore  it,  or  cause 


SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL.  73 

it  to  be  restored,  he  is,  by  implication,  " particcps  criminis" 
He  has,  in  equity,  no  more  right  to  screen  himself  from 
punishment  under  the  sanctimonious  garb  of  his  profes- 
sion, than  any  other  felon.  Thousands  of  families  Avho 
reside  in  cities  can  testify  that  thefts  among  Romanists 
are  of  daily  occurrence.  The  police  court  of  any  city 
will  attest  this  fact.  From  the  small  articles  in  the 
wardrobe,  bed-chamber,  and  cupboard,  to  gold  watches, 
bracelets,  and  pocket-books — nothing  is  safe.  And  so 
far  as  our  observation  has  extended  (with  few  excep- 
tions), the  more  zealous  the  penitent  in  attending  confes- 
sion the  more  frequent  the  thefts.  These  facts  may  not 
be  successfully  denied.  It  will  be  observed  in  the  last 
extract  from  St.  Liguori  (that  dear  saint  of  blessed 
memory)  that  there  is  one  contingency  which  may  de- 
prive the  priest  of  the  stolen  property,  that  is,  if  the 
thief  "is  poor  he  may  apply  it  to  himself  or  his  family." 
And  history  establishes  the  fact  there  is  no  scarcity 
of  poor  thieves  where  the  Romish  clergy  exercise  a  con- 
trolling influence.  Look  at  Italy,  Spain,  Mexico,  and 
other  Romish  countries,  where  the  streets  are  thronged 
writh  Roman  Catholic  paupers.  And  in  our  own  country 
nearly  all  the  itinerant  beggars  are  of  Romish  origin. 
With  these  facts  before  us,  will  any  sane  man  pretend 
that  Romish  schools  are  adapted  to  the  wants  of  Ameri- 
can youth  ?  It  requires  not  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  to 
predict  that  children  trained  under  such  principles  are 
liable  to  be  corrupted — ruined. 

The  worst  of  liars  began  their  downward  course  by 


74  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

telling  lies  which  they  considered  of  trifling  importance. 
The  worst  thieves  and  robbers  begun  their  course  by 
stealing  small  quantities.  If  children  are  taught  to 
regard  such  lying  and  thieving  "a  small  and  very 
pardonable  offense,"  they  may  be  induced  to  yield  to 
temptation,  which  will  terminate  in  disgrace  and  ruin. 

Such  morality  Romanists  must  teach  in  their  schools 
and  in  the  confessional  or  discard  their  own  doctrines, 
which  they  profess  to  believe  are  infallibly  true.  But 
such  is  not  the  training  required  by  American  youth  and 
citizens. 

This  division  of  sins  into  mortal  and  venial  is  grossly 
absurd,  and  more  grossly  immoral,  and  doubtless  ac- 
counts, in  part,  for  the  prevalence  of  immorality  in 
Roman  countries,  and  among  Romanists  in  Protestant 
countries.  Dishonesty  is  the  legitimate  result  of  such 
teaching. 

God  says,  "  Thou  shalt  not  steal."  The  priest  says 
you  may  steal  and  give  it  to  him  for  saying  masses. 
Thus,  by  precept  and  example,  making  void  the  law  of 
God.  The  Bible  teaches  that  all  unrighteousness  is  sin, 
and  "the  wages  of  sin  is  death."  It  does  not  say  the 
wages  of  mortal  sin  is  death.  Ezekiel  declares  "  the 
soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  He  did  not  say  the  soul 
that  sinneth  mortally  shall  die.  If  a  man  is  a  thief,  he 
is  so  at  heart ;  and  whether  he  steal  one  dollar  or  ten 
thousand,  he  is  morally  a  thief,  and  would  be  so  at  heart 
if  there  was  not  a  dollar  in  the  universe  to  steal.  The 
impure  stream  only  proclaims  the  quality  of  the  fount- 


SINS,  MORTAL  AND  VENIAL.  75 

ain.  Sin  is  estimated  not  by  weights  and  measures,  or 
by  dollars  and  cents,  but  by  the  nature  of  the  law 
violated  and  the  majesty  of  the  Being  offended.  All  sin 
is  against  God  and  his  law;  and  if  ever  pardoned,  God 
must  do  it.  Away  with  the  blasphemous  jugglery  of 
self-constituted  judicial  dictators  and  clerical  pretenders. 


76  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

POWER  OF  THE  KEYS. 

make  a  show  of  decency,  and  to  justify  the  abom- 
inations  of  the  confessional,  the  Roman  clergy,  with 
accustomed  audacity,  have  quoted  and  perverted  the 
Scriptures.  In  proof  of  this  system,  we  are  referred  to 
Numbers  v,  6,  7,  Matthew  iii,  6,  Acts  xix,  18,  and 
James  v,  16,  as  authority  for  the  confessional.  But  what 
relation  have  these  Scriptures  to  the  subject  ?  Do  they 
teach  the  duty  of  Auricular  Confession?  Do  they  de- 
fine the  seal  of  confession,  which  enjoins  eternal  secrecy? 
Do  they  affix  the  penalty  of  "  eternal  damnation  "  to  be 
inflicted  on  either  priest  or  penitent  who  shall  reveal  the 
secrets  of  the  confessional  ?  Do  they  prove  that  "  all 
are  obliged  to  confess  to  the  priests  at  least  once  each 
year?"  Do  they  show  that  the  priest,  in  the  confes- 
sional, "  is  as  God,"  and  in  the  court-room  "  is  as  man  ?" 
Do  they  prove  that  Auricular  Confession  constitutes  any 
part  of  Christian  duty,  or  that,  under  any  circumstances; 
a  penitent  may  "  behold  in  the  priest  the  person  of  Jesus 
Christ?"  Do  these  Scriptures  teach  that  Christian  men 
and  women  should  crouch  in  self-abasement  before  a 
Romish  priest — regarding  themselves  as  criminals  before 
their  judge?"  Do  they  say  any  thing  about  "mortal" 


POWER  OF  THE  KEYS.  77 

and  venial  sins"  or  about  absolution  from  sin  "  by  the 
power  of  the  keys?"  No;  not  one  word  about  all  this; 
not  so  much  as  a  form  of  prayer  to  the  Virgin  Mary, 
nor  a  word  of  instruction  about  the  use  of  "prayer-beads." 
Truly,  Moses,  John  the  Baptist,  Luke,  and  James  were 
poor  specimens  for  Roman  priests.  They  seemed  to  be 
entirely  ignorant  of  Auricular  Confession,  and  nowhere 
inculcated  the  practice,  either  by  precept  or  example. 

But,  since  Romanists  refer  to  these  Scriptures  as 
authority  for  their  abominations  in  the  confessional,  each 
shall  receive  a  separate  examination. 

"Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  \Yhen  a  man  or  woman 
shall  commit  any  sin  that  men  commit,  to  do  a  trespass  against 
the  Lord,  and  that  person  be  guilty:  then  they  shall  confess 
their  sin  which  they  have  done,"  etc.  (Num.  v,  6,  7.) 

Now,  let  it  be  observed  that  this  instruction  was 
given  to  Israel,  arid  related  to  ceremonial  restitution ;  and 
neither  furnishes  precept  nor  example  for  Auricular 
Confession. 

The  context  shows  that  reference  is  here  made  to 
certain  fraudulent  transactions  for  which  restitution  was 
due;  and  the  confession  was  intended  to  show  why,  and 
for  what,  the  indemnity  was  offered.  This  text  does  not 
speak  of  confessing  in  the  ear  of  a  priest  in  secret.  A 
man  or  woman  was  not  required  to  ransack  every  corner 
of  the  conscience,  as  pnpists  are,  and  in  detail  enumerate 
every  evil  thought,  word,  or  deed.  The  confession  may 
have  been  made  to  God,  or  it  may  have  been  made  to 
the  party  wronged.  But  if  it  be  admitted  that  it  was 


78  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

made  to  the  Jewish  priest,  there  is  no  evidence  that  it 
was  whispered  in  his  ear  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  Taberna- 
cle, or  any  pledge  of  secrecy  imposed  on  either  party. 
The  common  people  did  not  enter  into  the  Tabernacle ; 
but  met  the  priest  in  the  outer  court,  where  it  was  im- 
possible to  communicate  privately. 

Again,  with  an  air  of  confidence,  we  are  referred  to 
Matthew  iii,  6  : 

"And  were  baptized  of  him  [Jonn]  in  Jordan,  confessing 
their  sins." 

This  certainly  is  a  bad  specimen  of  Auricular 
Confession. 

1.  John  the  Baptist  was  a  Jewish,  and  not  a  Romish, 
priest.     He  was  also  the  first-lorn  son  of  a  high-priest, 
and  consequently  a  high-priest  himself.     His  father  was 
a  married  man,  and  certainly  not  good  authority  with 
Romish  priests. 

2.  The  people  confessed  not  in  secret  to  John  the 
Baptist,  but  in  the  presence  of  the  multitude  "from  Je- 
rusalem, and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region  round  about 
Jordan."     (Mattliew  iii,  5.) 

This  confession  was  not  whispered  in  the  ear,  under 
a  mutual  pledge  of  secrecy;  but  open,  free,  and  volun- 
tary. It  was  not  in  a  dark  corner,  nor  in  the  confession- 
box;  but  at  the  River  Jordan,  and  in  presence  of  all  the 
people.  There  is  no  record  to  prove  that  the  people  fell 
down  upon  their  knees  before  "father"  John,  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  "kissed  the  good  priest's  hand,"  recited 
the  "Confiteor,"  and  whispered  their  confessions  in  his 


POWER  OF  THE  KEYS.  79 

ears.  Not  one  word  is  said  about  "penance"  to  be  per- 
formed, after  confession  or  absolution  "  by  the  power  of 
the  keys."  They  came  publicly,  and  confessed  their 
sins;  and  John  publicly  required  them,  as  an  evidence 
of  sincerity,  to  "bring  forth  fruits  meet  for  repentance." 
They  desired  to  "flee  from  the  wrath  to  come;"  and  John 
directed  them  to  believe  on  Christ.  (Acts  xix,  4.) 
Again,  we  are  referred  to  Acts  xix,  18  : 

"And  many  that  believed  came,  and  confessed,  and  showed 
their  deeds." 

This  text,  also,  fails  to  prove  Auricular  Confession. 

1.  It  may  be  observed  that  many,  not  all,  came  and 
confessed. 

2.  They  shoivcd  their  deeds.    Their  confession  became 
a  matter  of  public  record;    it  was  known  not  only  to 
Paul,  but  Luke  published  it  to  the  world  ;  and  yet  there 
is  no  evidence  that  he  was  excommunicated,  or  consigned 
to  endless  perdition. 


of  them  also  which  used  curious  arts  brought  their 
books  together,  and  burned  them  before  all  men  :  and  they 
counted  the  price  of  them,  and  found  it  fifty  thousand  pieces 
of  silver." 

They  did  not  burn  their  books  in  the  confession-box  ; 
for  it  is  distinctly  stated  that  they  burned  them  he/ore  all 
men.  Books  valued  at  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver 
would  produce  an  unpleasant  amount  of  smoke  in  a 
modern  confession-box.  And  yet  there  is  as  much  evi- 
dence that  they  burned  their  books  in  secret  as  that  they 
confessed  their  sins  to  Paul  in  secret.  The  truth  is, 


80  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Paul  preached  to  the  people,  not  in  an  unknown  tongue, 
but  in  a  language  which  the  common  people  could  un- 
derstand, "and  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  mag- 
nified." Men  were  converted  by  the  power  of  God, 
through  the  truth.  They  came  and  shotved  their  deeds — 
exhibited  their  past  folly  as  beacons  to  warn  others. 
They  renounced  their  former  practices,  and  publicly 
espoused  the  cause  of  Christ. 

Again,  we  are  referred  to  James  v,  16 : 

"  Confess  your  faults  one  to  another,"  etc. 

This  text,  also,  proves  too  much  for  those  who  advo- 
cate Auricular  Confession.  It  does  not  say,  Confess 
your  faults  to  the  priests,  and  regard  yourselves  as  crim- 
inals; but  it  does  say,  Confess  your  faults  "o?ie  to  an- 
other." Now,  if  this  refers  to  Auricular  Confession,  it 
requires  the  priest  to  confess  to  the  penitent,  and  the 
penitent  to  confess  to  the  priest.  The  obligation  is  as 
binding  on  the  one  as  on  the  other.  And,  after  all,  there 
might  arise  a  question  as  to  who  should  grant  absolution. 
We  have  learned,  from  Peter  Dens's  "Moral  Theology," 
that  the  priest  in  the  confessional  may  break  the  Seventh 
Commandment  (sixth  of  the  Douay  Bible),  and  imme- 
diately grant  his  accomplice  in  guilt  absolution  from  "all 
other  sins,"  "theft  and  homicide"  not  excepted.  And  in 
case  that  his  accomplice  in  guilt  is  in  danger  of  death, 
the  priest  can  also  grant  her  absolution  from  the  sin  of 
fornication  or  adultery  with  himself.  But  where  there 
is  not  present  danger  of  death,  the  case  of  his  accomplice 


THE  CONFESSIONAL.  81 

must  be  referred  to  another  priest  for  absolution.  It 
does  not  require  extraordinary  sagacity  to  see  how  two 
licentious  priests  could  confess  their  faults  one  to  the  other, 
and  each  pronounce  on  the  other  absolution.  This  would 
not  be  more  difficult  than  to  absolve  an  accomplice;  and, 
under  the  circumstances,  might  entirely  dispense  with 
penance.  If  the  priest  guilty  of  adultery  or  fornication 
may  grant  absolution  to  his  accomplice  in  the  crime,  we 
see  no  good  and  sufficient  reason  why  he  may  not  grant 
absolution  to  himself  also.  This  certainly  would  super- 
sede the  necessity  of  confession  on  his  part,  since  he 
already  knows  the  facts  and  circumstances  of  the  case. 

But,  after  all,  it  appears,  from  Dens's  "Theology," 
that  there  are  certain  restrictions  upon  the  immorality 
of  the  priests.  They  are  required  to  exercise  their  gifts 
in  moderation;  and  the  priest  who  "deliberately  falls" 
only  "  two  or  three  times  a  month "  ought  to  doubt  his 
qualification  for  the  holy  office  of  confessor.  Thus  it 
may  be  seen  that,  in  theory  at  least,  all  sense  of  decency 
and  propriety  is  not  wholly  excluded  from  sacramental 
confession. 

Having  failed  to  find  Scripture  proof  for  Auricular 
Confession,  the  priests  of  Rome  have  recourse  to  infer- 
ential evidence  predicated  upon  false  assumptions: 

1.  They  assume  that  the  Apostle  Peter  was  the  vicar 
of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth;  that  he  held  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  glory,  with  power  and  authority  to  open 
heaven  or  hell  at  discretion. 

2.  They  assume  that  they  are  the  apostolic  successors 

6 


82  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

of  Peter;  and,  by  virtue  of  their  relation  to  him,  they 
possess  judicial  power  to  forgive  sin,  or  to  ret'iin  sin; 
and  that  the  kingdom  of  glory  can  only  be  entered  by 
their  permission. 

3.  They  assume  that,  in  order  to  obtain  the  remission 
of  sin,  all  mortal  sins  must  be  confessed   to  them  in 
secret. 

4.  They  assume  that  all,  of  every  creed  and  nation, 
who  will  not  bow  the  knee  to  them  in  confession  are  to 
experience  endless  perdition. 

These  arrogant  assumptions  are  set  up  by  men  who, 
according  to  their  own  admission,  are  liable  to  break  the 
Seventh  Commandment  two  or  three  times  a  month;  and 
whose  history  furnishes  many  melancholy  proofs  of  their 
wickedness  in  this  respect. 

Again,  they  refer  to  Matthew  xviii,  19 : 

'  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  "Whatsoever  yc  shall  bind  on  earth 
shall  be  bound  in  heaven  ;  and  whatsoever  ye  shall  loose  on 
earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 

This  Scripture  also  fails  to  furnish  inferential  proof 
of  their  assumptions.  The  context  shows  that  it  referred 
to  the  discipline  of  the  Church  by  the  apostles  on  earth; 
and,  when  administered  by  them  according  to  the  princi- 
ples of  their  religion,  it  would  meet  the  approbation  of 
Heaven.  The  apostles  neither  claimed  nor  exercised  the 
power  of  which  Romish  priests  boast.  If  the  power 
which  they  claim  had  been  given  to  Peter,  there  is  no 
•  evidence  that  he  was  authorized  to  transmit  it  to  any 
other  person.  But  there  is  no  evidence  that  either 


POWER  OF  THE  KEYS.  83 

Peter  or  any  other  apostle  received  or  exercised  the 
power  to  forgive  sins. 

Our  Lord  addressed  not  Peter  alone,  but  all  the  apos- 
tles: "Whatsoever  ye  shall  bind,"  etc.  He  did  not  say 
whosoever,  but  whatsoever.  He  referred  to  things,  and  not 
to  persons;  to  the  discipline  of  the  Church,  and  not  to  the 
destiny  of  its  members. 

The  language  is  plain,  "Ye  shall  bind"  The  phrase 
to  bind  and  to  loose,  among  the  Jews,  often  signified 
nothing  more  than  to  prohibit  and  to  permit.  To  bind  a 
thing  was  to  forbid  it;  to  loose  a  thing  was  to  allow  it  to 
be  done,  and  on  that  occasion  the  phrase  was  without 
doubt  employed  in  this  sense.  Thus,  relative  to  gather- 
ing wood  on  the  Sabbath-day,  they  said,  "  The  School  of 
Shammei  binds  it " — that  is,  forbids  it ;  "  the  School  of 
Hillel,  looses  it " — that  is,  allows  it.  The  phrase  "  king- 
dom of  heaven"  is  frequently  employed  to  denote  the 
Church  of  Christ  on  earth.  Matt,  iii,  2,  "The  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand." 

John  the  Baptist  did  not  mean  the  kingdom  of  glory. 
No,  he  referred  to  the  new  dispensation  into  which  the 
Church  was  about  to  enter.  So  in  the  parables  of  our 
Lord,  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  grain  of 
mustard  seed;"  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a 
man  which  sowed  good  seed  in  his  field;"  it  "is  like 
leaven  which  a  woman  took  and  hid  in  three  measures  of 
meal ;"  it  "  is  like  unto  a  net."  Again,  the  disciples 
asked  "who  is  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?" 
(Matthew  xviii,  1.)  "From  the  days  of  John  the 


84  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Baptist  until  now,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  suflereth 
violence,  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force."  (Matthew 
xi,  12.) 

These  and  other  Scriptures  evidently  refer  to  the 
Church  under  the  new  dispensation.  The  apostles  of 
Christ  were  ministers  of  the  Church  on  earth.  They  were 
not  priests  to  offer  sacrifice.  They  were  not  dictators  to 
lord  it  over  God's  heritage.  They  were  not  judicial 
"  vicars "  of  Jesus  Christ  to  consign  men  to  perdition 
at  pleasure.  They  were  not  as  Gods  in  confession- 
boxes  to  forgive  sins.  They  were  ministers  of  Jesus 
Christ  on  earth,  authorized  to  preach  the  Gospel,  to  ad- 
mit to  Church  privileges  those  who  ought  to  enter,'  and 
exclude  the  unworthy.  They  were  authorized  to  admit 
those  who  gave  evidence  of  piety,  and  exclude  others, 
and  the  legitimate  exercise  of  this  power  would  meet  the 
approbation  of  Heaven. 

Again  we  are  referred  to  John  xx,  22  and  23  : 

"And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on  them,  and  saith. 
unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Hoi}'  Ghost;  whosesoever  sins  ye 
remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye 
retain,  they  are  retained." 

This  is  a  parallel  Scripture  with  Matthew  xviii,  etc., 
and  inculcates  the  same  doctrine.  Did  he  breathe  on 
Peter  alone?  No,  "he  breathed  on  them)  and  saith 
unto  them  [to  those  who  were  present,  Judas  and 
Thomas  only  were  absent,  but  probably  were  both  pres- 
ent on  the  former  occasion],  Receive  ye  the  Holy 
Ghost."  This  was  a  pledge  of  the  miraculous  endowment 


.      POWER  OF  THE  KEYS.  85 

experienced  by  them  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  (Acts  ii, 
1  and  2.)  "Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,"  etc. 

The  meaning  of  this  Scripture  is  not  that  men  can  for- 
give sins,  but  that  the  inspired  apostles,  in  founding  the 
Church  under  the  new  dispensation  should  be  taught  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  declare  on  what  terms,  to  what  charac- 
ters, and  to  tvhat  moral  state  of  mind  God  would  bestow 
the  forgiveness  of  sins.  They  were  by  inspiration  au- 
thorized to  establish  in  all  the  Churches  the  condition 
on  which  men  might  be  pardoned,  with  the  assurance 
that  nil  who  would  comply  should  have  the  evidence  of 
forgiveness  and  reconciliation,  and  those  who  would  not 
comply  with  the  condition,  should  not  be  forgiven,  but 
be  rejected  on  account  of  their  willful  rejection  of  offered 
pardon. 

Again,  we  are  referred  to  Matt,  xvi,  18  : 

"And  I  say  also  unto  thee,  that  thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it." 

This  is  the  chief  corner-stone  in  the  temple  of  popery, 
and  without  it  the  building  will  fall  to  ruin.  This  Scrip- 
ture is  pressed  into  almost  every  sermon,  in  advocacy  or 
defense  of  popery.  It  is  on  the  lips  of  papists  every- 
where, and  often  quoted  by  those  who  never  read  it,  and 
•who  could  not  read  it  if  they  had  access  to  a  Bible  de- 
pository containing  all  the  languages  of  earth.  As  to 
the  fact  that  it  is  the  language  of  Jesus  Christ,  none 
will  deny ;  but  the  great  question  is,  What  does  it  mean? 
What  was  the  great  lesson  intended  to  be  taught?  Is  it 


86  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

true  that  Jesus  Christ  was  about  to  establish  popery,  and 
took  this  occasion  to  announce  the  appointment  of  Peter 
i\\Q  first  pope,  with  power  to  continue  his  succession  to  the 
end  of  time?  Did  he  then  and  there  intend  to  appoint 
him  Vicar-general,  with  "divine  right"  to  govern  the  world, 
to  dictate  to  kings,  emperors,  governments,  and  states? 
to  preside  over  the  Church;  to  hold  the  keys  of  heaven 
and  hell,  and,  in  person  or  by  proxy,  save  or  damn  men 
at  pleasure  ?  If  this  was  the  place  of  Peter's  corona- 
tion it  must  have  been  attended  with  far  less  pomp 
and  parade  than  that  of  many  of  his  pretended  suc- 
cessors. And  in  imparting  such  extraordinary  power 
to  be  perpetuated  by  successors  to  the  end  of  time, 
the  commission  will  be  found  clear  and  unequivocal, 
and  the  instructions  detailed  and  specific.  What  are 
the  facts  ? 

When  driven  from  every  other  subterfuge,  Romanists 
appeal,  in  vain,  to  the  Bible  to  sustain  their  system. 
They  use  the  Scripture  as  Satan  did  on  the  mountain 
and  on  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple.  They  quote  it  that 
they  may  pervert  it.  If  they  really  believe  that  the 
Scriptures  are  a  sufficient  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  why 
are  they  .continually  appealing  to  tradition  and  the 
Church  as  authority  ?  Or  if  we  must  obey  the  Church, 
regardless  of  our  convictions  of  truth,  as  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures,  why  refer  to  the  Scriptures  ?  Why  not  go 
to  the  Church  at  once  ?  Why  compel  us  to  form  opinions, 
and  thereby  become  heretics,  in  order  to  believe  Romish 
Infallibility  and  Auricular  Confession? 


POWER  OF  TBE  KEYS.  87 

But  since  they  have  appealed  to  the  Scriptures  they 
shall  go  to  their  favorite  text : 

"Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will 
give  unto  thee  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  what- 
soever thou  shalt  hind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven:  and 
•whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth  shall  be  loosed  in  heaven." 
(Matt,  xvi,  18,  19.) 

The  disciples  were  interrogated  relative  to  their  faith 
in  Christ :  "  Whom  sny  ye  that  I  am  ?  Peter  answered, 
Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  And 
Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him  :  Blessed  art  thou, 
Simon  Bar-jona :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it 
unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  And  I 
say  also  unto  thee,  thou  art  Peter,"  etc.  This  Scripture 
is  evidently  the  main  pillar  by  which  they  attempt  to 
prop  their  assumed  infallibility.  They  apply  this  Scrip- 
ture as  if  Christ  had  said,  "  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
thee  will  I  build  my  Church."  Peter,  and  not  Christ,  is 
thus  constituted  the  foundation  of  the  Romish  Church." 
Upon  this  exegesis  the  infallibility  of  the  Church  is 
boldly  asserted.  This  is  the  rock  on  which  that  sect  is 
built.  Now  let  its  solidity  be  tested  by  a  few  blows 
from  the  hammer  of  truth,  and  this  sandstone  of  would- 
be  infallibility  will  crumble  to  dust.  Truth  is  consistent 
with  itself.  One  Bible  truth  never  contradicts  another. 
The  rules  of  interpretation  require  that  any  given  pas- 
sage in  any  writing  is  to  be  understood  in  harmony  with 
the  whole.  No  single  paragraph  or  passage  is  to  be  so 
construed  as  to  clash  with,  or  contradict  the  uniform  sense 


88  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

of  the  author  on  the  same  subject.  This  will  apply  in 
the  case  before  us.  Christ  said  to  Peter,  Upon  this  rock 
I  Will  build  my  Church.  The  question  is,  To  what  rock 
did  Christ  refer?  Was  it  to  Peter,  a  short-sighted  erring, 
fallible  man  ?  Or  was  it  to  Christ,  the  object  of  Peter's 
faith  ?  Some  suppose  this  rock  referred  to  Peter ;  others 
to  Peter's  profession ;  others  refer  it  to  Christ  himself; 
while  other  learned  linguists  regard  the  declaration  of 
Christ  as  plain  and  unequivocal,  and  that  it  should  be 
read,  Thou  art  Petros  (masculine  gender),  a  rock,  a  stone, 
a  pebble  (movable).  On  this  Petra  (feminine  gender), 
a  rock,  a  granite,  immovable,  will  I  build  my  Church, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  (councils  of  wicked  men  and  devils) 
shall  not  prevail  against  it — shall  not  overcome,  conquer, 
or  subdue  it. 

It  is  admitted  that  Petra  is  a  Greek  noun  in  the 
feminine  gender ;  the  pronoun  "  taute"  (this)  in  the 
Greek  text,  is  in  the  feminine  gender  agreeing  with  the 
noun  "Peirar  And  Petros  (Peter)  is  in  the  masculine 
gender.  Petra,  then,  must  refer  to  something  different 
from  Peter.  If  the  Savior  had  proposed  to  build  his 
Church  on  Peter,  he  would  have  used  Petros  twice 
instead  of  Petros  and  Petra. 

Can  it  be  possible  that  the  Omniscient  Jesus,  who 
knew  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  who  knew  the 
hearts  of  all  men,  would  use  such  language  on  a  subject 
so  important  that  not  one  of  his  disciples  understood  it? 
Or  that  he  gave  to  Peter  the  keys  of  heaven  and  hell, 
and  that  Peter  was  so  stupid  that  during  his  life  he  went 


POWER  OF  THE  KEYS.  89 

about  with  the  keys  dangling  to  his  girdle,  and  neither 
he  nor  any  other  person  ever  suspected  that  he  had 
them.  If  Peter  had  the  keys,  and  was  so  ignorant  of 
his  power,  or  otherwise  so  derelict  in  duty  that  he  never 
used  them,  he  must  have  been  a  poor  specimen  of  pebble 
on  which  to  build  a  Church.  In  a  commission  in  perpe- 
tuity to  save  or  damn  men,  to  open  and  shut  the  king- 
dom of  glory  at  pleasure,  obscurity  or  ambiguity  is  not 
admissible.  A  just  and  holy  God  would  not  thus  trifle 
with  his  creatures.  And  it  is  not  less  unreasonable  to 
suppose  that  the  Omniscient  Jehovah  would  send  his 
Son  to  die  for  the  world,  that  all  might  be  saved,  and 
then  impart  to  a  fallible  man.  or  men,  the  keys  of  glory 
by  which  they  may  at  pleasure  exclude  those  for  whom 
Christ  died. 


90 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  Tin. 


THE  CLERGY  AND  CONCUBINES. 


11 DE  ABSOLUTIONS  COMPLICIS. 

"ADVERTENDUM  quod  nullus 
confessarius,  extra  mortis  per- 
iculum,  licet  alias  habeat  po- 
tcstatem  absolvendi  areservatis 
absolvcre  possit  aut  valeat  a 
peccato  quolibet  mortali  ext-er- 
no  contra  castitatem,complicem 
in  eodem  secum  peccato. 

"Hie  casus  complicis  non 
collocatur,  inter  casus  rcserva- 
tos,  quia  episcopus  non  reservat 
sibi  absolutionem,  sed  quilibet 
alius  confessarius  potest  ab  eo 
absolvere,  prseterquam  sacer- 
dos  complex."  (Dens,  torn.  6, 
297.) 


"An  comprehenditur  mas- 
.culus  complex  in  peccato  ve- 
nereo  v.  g.  per  tactus  ? 

"J2.  Affirmative,  quia  Pon- 
tifex  extendit  ad  qualemcum- 
que  personam. 

"Non  requiritur  ut  hoc  pec- 
catum  complicis  patratum  sit 
in  confessione,  vel  occasione 
confessionis;  quocumque  enim 


<(  ON  THE  ABSOLUTION  OF  AN  AC- 
COMPLICE. 

"  Let  it  be  observed  that,  ex- 
cept in  case  of  danger  of  death, 
no  confessor,  though  lie  may 
otherwise  have  the  power  of 
absolving  from  reserved  cases, 
may  or  can  absolve  his  accom- 
plice in  any  external  mortal  sin 
against  chastity  committed  by 
the  accomplice  with  the  con- 
fessor himself. 

"  This  case  of  an  accomplice  is 
NOT  placed  amongst  the  reserved 
cases,  because  the  bishop  does  NOT 
reserve  the  absolution  to  himself; 
but  any  other  confessor  can  ab- 
solve from  it,  except  the  priest  who 
is  himself  the  partner  in  the  act." 
(Dens,  vol.  6,  p.  297.) 

"Is  a  male  accomplice  in  ve- 
nereal sin — to  wit,  by  touches — 
comprehended  in  this  degree? 

"A.  Yes;  because  the  Pope 
extends  it  to  whatsoever  per- 
son. 

"It  is  not  required  that  this 
sin  of  an  accomplice  be  com- 
mitted in  confession,  or  by  oc- 
casion of  confession ;  for,  in 


THE  CLERGY  AND  CONCUBINES. 


91 


loco  vel  tempore  factutn  est,  whatever  place  or  time  it  has 
etiam  antequam  esset  confessa-  been  done,  even  before  he  was 
rius,  facit  casum  complicis."  her  confessor,  it  makes  a  case 


(Dens,  torn.  6,  298.) 

"Nota  ultimo,  cum  restric- 


of  an  accomplice."     (Dens,  vol. 
6,  p.  298.) 

"  Lastly,  take  note  that, since 
tio  fiat  ad  peccata  carnis,  po-  the  restriction  is  made  to  car- 
ter! t  confessarius  complicem  in  nal  sins,  the  confessor  will  be 
aliis  pcccatis,  v.  g,  in  furto,  able  to  give  valid  absolution 
homieidio,  etc.,  valide  absol-  to  his  accomplice  in  other 

sins;  namely,  in  theft,  in  hom- 
icide, etc."  (Dens,  vol.  6,  p. 298.) 


vere."     (Dens,  torn.  6,  298.) 


"  Confessarius       sollicitavit 


;  A  confessor  has  seduced  his 


pcenitentem  ad  turpia,  non  in  penitent  to  the  commission  of 
confessione,  ncc  occasione  con-  carnal  sin,  not  in  confession, 
fessionis,  sed  ex  alia  occasione  nor  by  occasion  of  confession, 


extraordinaria  :    an  est  denun- 
tiandus? 


Negative.    Aliud  foret, 


but  from  some  other  extraor- 
dinary occasion:  is  he  to  be 
denounced? 

"A.  No.  If  he  had  tampered 
si  ex  scientia  confeSsionis  sol-  with  her  from  his  knowledge 
licitaret;  quia,  v.  g.,  ex  confes-  of  confession,  it  would  be  a 
sione  novit,  illam  personam  diffei-ent  thing;  because,  for 
deditam  tali  peccato  venereo."  instance,  he  knows  that  person, 
(P.  Antoine,  torn.  4,  430;  Dens,  from  her  confession,  to  he  given 


torn.  6,  298.) 


to  such  carnal  sins."  (P.  An- 
toine, vol.  4,  p.  430;  Dens,  vol. 
6,  p.  298.) 


The  above  extracts  are  from  the  "  Mechlinioe  "  edition 
of  Dens's  "Moral  Theology,"  bearing  date  A.  D.  1864,  in 
seven  volumes.  It  is  published  by  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Faith,  and  sold  by  the  Pope's  pub- 
lisher and  importer  in  New  York.  The  original  books 
are  before  us.  We  also  have  the  Dublin  edition,  eight 
volumes ;  and  the  extracts  here  inserted  will  be  found 
in  it,  in  volume  6;  pages  218  and  219.  "We  thus  mi- 


92  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

nutely  describe,  that  the  clergy  may  not  quibble  ns  to 
the  authenticity  of  the  works,  ns  they  are  disposed  to  do 
when  there  is  the  possibility  of  a  doubt.  If  prudence 
would  permit,  we  might  add  largely  to  these  quotations 
from  this  and  other  theological  works. 

Here  let  the  reader  pause  and  consider  the  import  of 
these  brief  extracts,  and  infer,  if  he  can,  what  would 
be  the  condition  of  society  and  the  destiny  of  our  be- 
loved country  if  this  intolerant  system  of  corruption 
should  gain  the  ascendancy.  A  glance  at  the  subject 
will  disclose  the  following  facts: 

1.  That  a  priest  in  the  confessional,  "as  God"  pre- 
tending to  forgive  sin,  may  seduce  his  female  penitent, 
and  pardon  every  other  sin  which  she  has  committed  ex- 
cept that  one  act  of  licentiousness  with  her  lordly  con- 
fessor; and,  if  she  is  in  danger  of  death,  he  can  pardon 
that  sin  also. 

2.  That  when  the  priest,  in  confession,  has  seduced  a 
female  penitent  who  is  not  in  present  danger  of  death, 
he  can  forgive  every  other  sin  which  she  has  committed 
except  that  act  of  licentiousness  with  himself,  and  an- 
other priest  must  pardon  (or  absolve)  that. 

This,  certainly,  is  a  very  easy  way  to  dispose  of  the 
vilest  crimes.  Priests  may  thus  aid  each  other  in  their 
pious  work  of  prostitution;  and  such  female  penitents 
may  make  short  work  of  confession,  seeing  the  facts  are 
already  known  to  the  father-confessor  who  is  her  accom- 
plice in  guilt. 

"What  more  God-dishonoring,  heaven-daring  insolence 


THE  CLERGY  AND  CONCUBINES.  93 

could  have  been  devised?  And  yet,  in  the  estimation 
of  this  learned  Doctor  of  Divinity,  it  is  not  a  matter  of 
sufficient  importance  to  be  referred  to  the  bishop.  "Any 
other  priest  can  grant  absolution." 

Such  is  Roman  theology  and  its  legitimate  results; 
and  this  may  in  part  explain  the  necessity  for  "eternal 
secrecy"  relative  to  the  transactions  in  the  confessional. 

3.  The  restriction  is  only  made  to  "carnal  sins"  (sins 
against  chastity);  consequently,  the  "confessor  can  grant 
valid  absolution  to  his  accomplice  in  all  other  sins; 
namely,  in  theft,  in  homicide,  etc." 

Comment  here  is  superfluous.  With  this  system  of 
theology  in  the  hands  of  professional  experts  in  the  arts 
of  seduction  and  crime,  where  is  the  protection  for  virtue, 
character,  life,  or  property? 

When  thousands  of  the  Roman  clergy,  with  their  de- 
grading theology,  are  worming  their  way  into  every  de- 
partment of  society,  instilling  in  the  minds  of  youth  and 
unsuspecting  females  the  most  pernicious  sentiments,  in 
the  name  of  religion  and  by  authority  of  a  professedly 
infallible  Church,  it  ceases  to  be  a  matter  of  surprise 
that  unblushing  crime  stalks  abroad  in  every  department 
of  society.  It  is  not  strange  that  prisons  and  poor-houses 
are  increasing,  that  brothels  and  foundling  institutions 
are  multiplying,  and  that  Magdalene  institutions  have 
become  a  necessity  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  are 
polluting  American  soil. 

It  is  not  strange,  with  a  system  of  corruption  like 
this  intrenching  itself  in  the  midst  of  pure  and  virtuous 


94  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

society,  that  the  fond  hopes  of  parents  are  often  blasted, 
and  their  gray  hairs  brought  down  to  the  grave  sorrowing. 

And  it  is  not  strange  that  those  who  know  the  facts 
are  willing  to  jeopard  life  and  property  to  expose  and 
prevent  the  evil.  The  wonder  is  that  this  system  of 
clerical  debauchery  has  not  been  suppressed  by  enlight- 
ened public  sentiment  or  penal  enactments. 

If  the  confessional  stood  alone,  it  would  seem  enough 
to  corrupt  the  nation ;  but  when  taken  in  connection 
with  the  system  to  which  it  belongs,  it  is  truly  the 
"mystery,  Babylon  the  great,  the  mother  of  harlots  and 
and  abominations  of  the  earth." 

The  obligations  of  secrecy  shall  not  longer  conceal  the 
abominations  of  the  confessional.  Assumed  dignity,  or 
threats  of  personal  violence  and  assassination,  AY  ill  avail 
nothing.  Deeds  of  darkness  shall  be  brought  to  light 
until  legal  enactments  shall  abate  the  confessional  as  an 
intolerable  nuisance. 

Pope  Gregory  VII  and  the  Council  of  Trent  prohib- 
ited the  marriage  of  the  Roman  clergy ;  but  the  latter 
permitted  the  clergy  to  keep  concubines  for  a  money 
consideration.  This  fact  was  clearly  established  in  the 
celebrated  debate  between  the  Rev.  Doctors  Campbell 
and  Purcell  on  Romanism.  Dr.  Campbell  affirmed,  Dr. 
Purcell  denied,  and  Dr.  Campbell  proved  that  the 
Roman  clergy  had  kept  concubines  with  the  knowledge 
and  approbation  of  their  ecclesiastical  superiors.  The 
facts  are  recorded  in  the  debate,  on  pages  218,  253,  239, 
359,  etc.  This  fact  is  also  confirmed  by  the  "Moral  The- 


THE  CLERGY  AND  CONCUBINES.  95 

ology  "  of  St.  Liguori,  which,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Roman 
clergy  who  keep  women  and  profess  celibacy,  we  here 
insert,  translated  into  English,  the  following : 

"A  bishop,  however  poor  he  may  be,  can  not  appropriate  to 
himself  pecuniary  fines,  without  the  license  of  the  Apostolic 
See;  but  he  ought  to  apply  them  to  pious  uses.  Much  less  can 
he  apply  those  fines  lo  any  thing  else  but  pious  uses  which  tho 
Council  of  Trent  has  laid  upon  non-resident  clergymen,  or 
upon  those  clergymen  who  keep  concubines."  (Liguori  Ep.  Doc. 
Mor.,  p.  444.) 

This  translation  was  made  by  Dr.  Campbell,  and  was 
not  disproved  by  Archbishop  Purcell.  The  original  was 
found  in  the  edition  of  Liguori,  published  A.  D.  1832,  on 
the  page  indicated.  We  have  before  us  later  editions 
(duplicates),  bearing  date  A.  D.  1846.  The  Latin  text 
is  verbatim  ;  but  is  found  in  Vol.  IX,  page  411 :  "  Mulc- 
tas  pecuniarias  Episcopus  sibi,"  etc.  Here  we  have  it 
in  plain  terms.  The  Roman  clergy  are  licensed  to  keep 
concubines,  and  the  bishops  are  required  to  apply  to  holy 
uses  the  proceeds  of  their  lustful  gratifications.  In  this, 
as  in  other  cases,  the  end  sanctifies  the  means.  Truly, 
with  the  Roman  clergy,  money  hides  a  multitude  of  sins. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Council  of  Trent  is  the 
last  general  council  but  one,  and  the  above  license,  not 
being  revoked,  is  now  in  force.  St.  Liguori,  whose  "Moral 
Theology"  contains  the  facts,  is  an  approved  theologian, 
and  a  patron  saint  in  the  Roman  calendar.  So  that  the 
Roman  clergy  now  have  the  sanction  of  the  Church  for 
keeping*  concubines,  commonly  called  '''nieces"  Present 
circumstances  and  past  history  clearly  indicate  the  fact 


96  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

that  they  often  avail  themselves  of  their  canonical  privi- 
leges. It  usually  requires  not  less  than  one  girl  or 
woman  to  keep  the  priest's  house,  to  provide  for  his 
toilet  and  table  They  frequently  eat,  sleep,  and  live 
under  the  same  roof,  in  a  state  of  seclusion.  The  out- 
side world  has  only  an  occasional  glance  into  their 
secluded  devotions ;  but  enough  is  known  to  establish 
the  fact  that  seclusion  is  not  an  infallible  sign  of  immac- 
ulate purity.  High  walls,  darkened  windows,  and  bolted 
doors  are  not  inseparably  connected  with  fervent  piety. 
Facts  at  Evansville,  St  Wendell's,  and  Vincennes,  Ind; 
Bardstown,  Ky ;  Alleghany  City,  Penn.;  Montreal, 
Canada ;  New  York  City ;  Canton,  Macomb,  and  New 
Berlin,  111.,  and  at  other  places  too  numerous  to  men- 
tion, are  sufficient  to  show  that  if  priests  are  not  licensed 
by  their  Church  to  keep  concubines,  they  ought,  for  the 
sake  of  decency,  morality,  virtue,  religion,  and  a  re- 
spect for  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  to  be  lawfully  mar- 
ried. The  foundling  institutions  of  Italy  are  a  sad 
comment  on  the  professed  sacerdotal  celibacy  of  the 
clergy,  and  the  vows  of  chastity  taken  by  priests  and 
nuns. 

Those  who  escape  from  the  tyranny  and  dungeons  of 
monasteries  and  convents  in  the  United  States  and  in 
Rome,  bear  their  united  testimony  against  the  chastity 
of  the  clergy,  and  against  the  purity  of  monasteries  and 
convents.  History  shows  that,  in  the  palmy  dnys  of  the 
Roman  sect,  in  the  ninth,  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelfth 
centuries,  popes,  bishops,  and  priests  were  often  publicly 


THE  CLERGY  AND  CONCUBINES.  97 

and  notoriously  licentious;  and  the  licentious  popes  are 
numbered  among  the  infallible  successors  of  St.  Peter, 
through  whom  the  modern  clergy  profess  to  obtain  power 
to  forgive  sins  and  perform  miracles.  The  late  Priest 
Hogan  says,  "Every  priest  has  one  concubine.,  and  some 
have  more" 

When  the  facilities  for  concealing  vice,  and  the  fear- 
ful obligations  of  secrecy,  are  understood,  it  will  be  a 
matter  of  surprise  that  the  secret  vices  of  the  clergy  are 
ever  detected.  It  may,  for  the  present,  suffice  to  know 
that  the  Roman  clergy  in  our  midst  live  in  seclusion, 
under  circumstances  which  would  not  be  tolerated  in  any 
other  class  of  clergymen  or  professional  men. 

It  might  not  be  amiss  for  grand  jurors  to  inquire  into 
the  domestic  relations  of  the  Roman  clergy  and  their 
pious  "nieces,"  and  for  State  legislatures  to  open  con- 
vents to  inspection,  or  require  them  to  stand  open,  as 
other  institutions.  Prison-pens  are  not  needed  in  which 
to  educate,  proselyte,  and  prostitute  American  daughters. 
And  until  priests  and  nuns  can  show  a  purer  record  of 
convents  and  monasteries  in  connection  with  Auricular 
Confession  in  Italy,  Spain,  and  other  Roman  countries, 
they  should  at  least  cease  to  affect  superior  sanctity  in 
America. 

Canon  law  requires  nuns  to  confess  once  each  month. 
Father  Garasche,  of  St.  Louis,  says  that  "custom  requires 
them  to  once  a  week."  Every  regular  convent  should 
have  at  least  one  father-confessor,  who  may  have  access 

to  the  institution  by  day  or  by  night. 

7 


98  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

"Edith  O'Gorman,"  the  escaped  nun,  in  her  book 
corroborates  these  facts,  and  shows  that,  when  nuns  in 
the  school-room  and  under  other  circumstances  meet 
Protestant  girls  whom  they  are  endeavoring  to  proselyte, 
they  appear  as  meek  as  mercy,  as  pure  as  love,  and  as 
innocent  as  angels;  but  in  another  department,  where 
school-girls  are  not  admitted,  and  where  priests  and  nuns 
have  intercourse,  there  is  jealousy  and  strife,  and  often 
gross  licentiousness;  and  she  defiantly  challenged  inves- 
tigation, and  pledged  herself  to  prove  it.  They  did  not 
do  it;  but  endeavored  to  assassinate  her,  to  suppress 
the  facts. 

With  these  facts  before  the  people,  how  unreasonable 
that  Protestants  should  persist  in  patronizing  Popery 
and  convents. 


CLERICAL  SEDUCTION,  HOW  CONCEALED.  99 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CLERICAL  SEDUCTION,  HOW  CONCEALED. 

fearful  obligations  and  penalties  of  Auricular  Con- 
•*•  fession,  with  the  numerous  facilities  for  vice  in  seclu- 
sion, are  not  considered  a  sufficient  protection  for  the 
clergy  to  prevent  disclosures  from  the  confessional.  The 
questions  to  be  propounded  in  the  confessional  are 
adapted  to  test  the  virtue  of  every  female  who  goes 
there,  and  thus  give  the  priest  unrestrained  power  to 
select  his  victims. 

In  confession,  femnles  are  required  to  confess  thoughts, 
desires,  emotions,  words,  and  actions,  in  detail,  and 
promptly  answer  all  questions  propounded  by  the  priest, 
otherwise  not  obtain  absolution.  Having  been  thoroughly 
trained  to  the  belief  that  her  salvation  is  predicated  upon 
thorough  confession  and  implicit  obedience  to  her  ecclesi- 
astical superior,  she  dare  not  incur  his  displeasure.  The 
unfortunate  victim  thus  fettered  by  education,  obliga- 
tions, penalties,  and  the  seclusion  of  the  confessional, 
may  fall  a  victim  to  the  arts  of  a  skillful  seducer.  If 
she  willingly  consents  to  his  seductive  influence,  then 
the  matter  rests  between  the  parties  guilty,  who  are 
equally  bound  by  interest  and  obligation  to  conceal  the 
facts.  If  otherwise,  and  her  inherent  womanly  virtue 


100  A  VRICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

indignantly  resents  the  lecherous  encroachments  of  her 
clerical  seducer,  she  has  no  means  of  sure  redress.  She 
is  bound,  under  "penalty  of  damnation"  to  secrecy.  A 
Protestant  lady  would  fly  to  the  strong  arm  of  a  father, 
husband,  or  brother,  and  find  redress ;  but  she  dare  not 
do  it;  her  lips  are  sealed  till  she  first  consults  the  bishop. 
If  he  refuses  to  interpose  his  authority,  she  has  no  re- 
dress whatever.  If  there  is  probable  danger  of  scandal, 
the  bishop  may  at  pleasure  send  the  priest  to  another 
parish,  where  he  is  not  so  well  known,  to  practice  his 
old  tricks.  Virtue  is  not  an  indispensable  qualification 
for  a  Roman  clergyman.  The  Council  of  Trent  and 
moral  theology  teaches  that  vice  does  not  annul  "  holy 
orders,"  and  that  "  official  acts  of  a  wicked  priest  are 
valid."  (Catechism  of  Trent,  page  172,  etc.) 

The  fact  that  seduction  is  practiced  in  the  confes- 
sional can  not  be  successfully  denied,  and  in  systems  of 
theology  provisions  are  made  by  which  bishops  may  so 
regulate  it  as  to  prevent  scandal  to  the  Church  by  sup- 
pressing facts.  Their  method  does  not  remove  the  evil, 
but  otherwise  perpetuates  and  enhances  the  pernicious 
influence.  The  following  interesting  instruction  to  the 
Roman  clergy  is  found  in  Dens's  Theology,  vol.  iv,  pages 
301,  302,  303  : 

"  DE    MODO  DENUNTIANDI    SOLLI-       "  ON    THE  MODE    OF   DENOUNCING 
CITANTEM  PR^EPATUM.  THE    AFORESAID  SEDUCER. 

"Primus  modus  mngis  con-  "The  first  and  most  conveni- 

veniens  est  si  ipsa  persona  sol-  ent  mode  is  this,  if  the  person 

licitata  immediate,  nulli,  ulteri  upon  whose   chastity   the    at- 

revelando,  accedut   cpiscopum  tempt  had   been  made,  would 


CLERICAL  SEDUCTION,  HOW  CONCEALED. 


101 


sive  ordinarium.  2.  Potest 
episcopo  scribere  epistolam 
clausam  et  signatam  sub  hac 
forma:  'Ego  Catharina  N., 
habitans  Mechlinse  in  platea 
N".  sub  signo  1ST.  hisce  declare 
me  6  Martii  anni  1758  occa- 
sione  confessionis  fuisse  solici- 
tatutn  ad  inhonesta  a  confessa- 
rio  N.  N.  excipiente  confes- 
•sioncs  Mechlinse,  in  ecclesia 
N.  quod  juramento  confirmare 
parata  sum.'  "  (Dons,  torn,  vi, 
p.  302.) 


"3.  Si  autem  scribere  nequeat, 
si  mil  is  epistola  scribatur  ab 
alio  v.  g.  a  secundo  conf'essa- 
rio  cum  licentia  poenitentis;  et 
nomen  poenitentis  seu  personse 
Bollicitantis,  exprimatur  ut  su- 
pra :  sed  nomen  confessarii  sol- 
lieitantis  ut  occultum  man  eat 
scribenti,  n  o  n  exprimatur, 
verum  a  tertio  aliquo,  rei  igna- 
ro,  in  'chartula  aliqua  nomen 
ejus  scribatur  sub  alio  prse- 
texta ;  quse  chartula  epistolae 
praefatse  includatur." 


"  In  hoc  casu  (denunciators) 
tamen  quidam  putant  moder- 
andum,  et  considerandas  esse 


proceed  herself  immediately  to 
the  bishop  or  the  ordinary, 
without  revealing  the  circum- 
stance to  any  one  else.  2.  She 
can  write  a  letter,  closed  and 
sealed,  to  the  bishop,  in  the 
following  form:  'I,  Catharine 
N.,  dwelling  at  Mechlin,  in  the 
street  N.,  under  the  sign  N.,  by 
these  declare,  that  I,  on  the  6th 
day  of  March,  1758,  on  the  oc- 
casion of  confession,  have  been 
seduced  to  improper  acts  by 
the  confessor  N.,  hearing  con- 
fessions at  Mechlin,  in  the 
church  N.,  which  1  am  ready 
to  confirm  on  oath.'"  (Dens, 
vol.  vi,  p.  302.) 

"3.  But  if  she  can  not  write, 
let  a  similar  letter  be  written 
by  another,  namely,  by  a  sec- 
ond confessor,  with  the  license 
of  the  penitent,  and  let  the 
name  of  the  penitent  or  per- 
son seduced  be  expressed  as 
above,  but  let  the  name  of 
the  seducing  confessor,  in  or- 
der that  it  may  remain  a  se- 
cret to  the  writer,  be  not  ex- 
pressed, but  let  his  name  be 
written  under  a  different  pre- 
text, by  some  third  person, 
ignorant  of  the  circumstances, 
on  some  scrap  of  paper,  which 
may  be  inclosed  in  the  afore- 
said letter." 

"In  this  case  (of  denounc- 
ing), however,  some  are  of 
opinion  that  moderation  must 


102 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


circnmstantiasfrequentiffi.peri- 
culi,"  etc.  (Dens,  tom.  vi,  p. 
301.) 

"Monentur  interca  confes- 
sarii,  ut  mulicrculis  quibus- 
cumque  accusantibus  priorem 
confessarium,fidem  leviter  non 
adhibeant;  sed  prius  seruten- 

tur  accusationis  finera  et  cau- 

• 
sam  examinent   earum  mores, 

conversationem,"  etc.  (Dens, 
vol.  vi,  p.  302.) 

"  Quocirca  observa,  quod 
qurecumque  persona,  quse  per 
se  vel  peraliam,  falso  denuntiat 
saoerdotem  tanquara  sollicita- 
torem,  incurrat  casum  reserva- 
tum  summo  Pontifici.  Ita 
Benedictus  XIV.  Constit.  Sa- 
cramentum  Poenitent."  (Apud 
Antoine,  p.  418.) 

"Benedictus  XIV,  in  Con- 
stit. citata  numero  216,  reserv- 
avit  sibit  et  successor! bus  pec- 
catum  falsse  denuntiationis  con- 
fessarii  sollicitantis  ad  turpia, 
sed  sine  censura."  (Dens,  tom. 
vi,  p.  303. 


be  observed,  and  that  the  cir- 
cumstances of  frequency,  of 
danger,  etc.,  must  be  consid- 
ered." (Dens,  vol.  6,  p.  301.) 

"In  the  meantime,  confes- 
sors are  advised  not  lightly  to 
give  credit  to  any  woman 
whatsoever,  accusing  their  for- 
mer confessor,  but  first  to 
search  diligently  into  the  end 
and  cause  of  the  occasion,  to* 
examine  their  morals,  conver- 
sation," etc.  (Dens,  vol.  vi,  p. 
302.) 

"  For  which  reason  observe, 
that  whatever  person,  either 
by  herself,  or  by  another, 
falsely  denounces  a  priest  as  a 
seducer,  incurs  a  case  reserved 
for  the  .supreme  pontiff.  Thus 
Benedict  XIV,  in  the  constitu- 
tion, called  'Sac r amentum 
Paenitentise."  (In  Antoine,  p. 
418.) 

"Benedict  XIV,  in  the  con- 
stitution cited  in  No.  216,  re- 
serves to  himself  and  his  suc- 
cessors the  sin  of  falsely  de- 
nouncing a  confessor  for  seduc- 
ing his  penitent  to  commit 
carnal  sin."  (Dens,  vol.  6,  p. 
303.) 


The  above  extracts  might  be  enlarged ;  but  they  are 
sufficient  to  illustrate  several  important  facts : 

1 .  That  seduction  and  licentiousness  are  practiced  in 
the  solitude  of  the  confessional,  where  there  is  no  wit- 
ness to  corroborate  the  testimony  of  the  outraged  and 


CLERICAL  SEDUCTION,  HOW  CONCEALED.  103 

% 

insulted  female,  and  when  the  word  of  the  guilty  priest 
would  be  a  sufficient  refutation  of  the  charge  of  guilt. 
Peter  Dens  shows  in  subsequent  numbers  that  the  testi- 
mony of  a  priest  is  to  be  taken  in  preference  to  that  of 
a  layman. 

2.  The  fact  that  a  chapter  in  an  approved  system  of 
theology  is  devoted  exclusively  to  the  best  method  of 
denouncing  seducing  confessors  is  evidence  of  the  prev- 
alence of  the  practice.     If  there  be  no  such  thing  as  a 
will  or  a  warrantee  deed  there  would  be  no  necessity  for 
a  formula  for  one.     If  there  is  no  such  thing  as  clerical 
seduction  in  the  confession,  there  would  be  no  necessity 
for   chapters    of    detailed   instructions    as    to    the   best 
methods   of  concealing  the  facts   from  the  people  and 
making  them  known  to  the  bishop. 

3.  Female  penitents  are  not  compelled  to  report  the 
licentiousness  of  the  priests  to  the  bishop ;  but  if  they 
do  not  report  to  him,  they  can  not  to  any  other  person,  ex- 
cept to  another  priest,  who  may  be  as  vile  as  the  seducer, 
and  m.ay  thereby  take  occasion  to  add  insult  to  injury. 

Priests  are  not  infallible,  and  St  Liguori  being  judge,, 
they  are  not  distinguished  for  virtue.  He  says :. 
"  Among  the  priests  who  live  in  the  world,  it  is  rare, 
and  very  rare,  to  find  any  that  are  good."  Regarding 
this  as  a  settled  fact,  the  Saint  has  given  rules  to  con- 
fessors to  guard  them  against  the  influence  of  their  con- 
stitutional and  habitual  weakness.  He  says  : 

"  The  confessor  ought  to  be  extremely  cautious  how  be  henrs- 
the  confession  of  women,  and  he  should  particularly  bear  in 


104  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

mind  what  is  said  in  the  holj-  congregation  of  bishops,  21  Janu- 
ary, 1610:  '  Confessors  should  not,  without  necessity,  hear  the  con- 
fessions of  women  after  dusk  or  before  twilight.'  In  regard  to  the 
prudence  of  a  confessor,  he  ought,  in  general,  rather  to  be  rigid 
with  young  women,  in  the  confessional,  than  bland  ;  neither 
ought  he  to  allow  them  to  come  to -him  before  confession  to 
converse  with  him;  much  less  should  he  allow  them  to  kiss  his 
hands.  It  is  also  imprudent  for  the  confessor  to  let  his  eyes 
wander  after  his  female  penitents,  and  to  gaze  upon  them  as 
they  are  retiring  from  confession.  The  confessor  should  never 
receive  presents  from  his  female  penitents;  and  he  should  be 
particularly  careful  not  to  visit  them  at  their  houses,  except  in 
case  of  severe  illness;  nor  should  he  visit  them  then,  unless  he 
be  sent  for.  In  this  case  he  should  be  very  cautious  in  what 
manner  he  hears  their  confessions;  therefore  the  door  should  be 
left  open,  and  he  should  sit  in  a  place  where  he  can  be  seen  by 
others,  and  he  should  never  fix  his  eyes  upon  the  face  of  his 
penitent;  especially  if  they  be  spiritual  persons,  in  regard  to 
whom,  the  danger  of  attraction  is  greater.  The  venerable 
father,  Scrtorius  Capotus,  B&ye,  that  the  devil,  in  order  to  unite 
spiritual  persons  together,  ahvays  makes  use  of  the  pretext  of 
virtue,  that,  being  mutually  affected  by  these  virtues,  the  pas- 
sion may  pass  from  their  virtues  over  to  their  persons.  Hence, 
says  St.  Augustin,  according  to  St.  Thomas,  confessors,  in  hearing 
the  confessions  of  spiritual  women,  ought  to  be  brief  and  rigid; 
neither  are  they  the  less  to.be  guarded  against  on  account  of 
their  being  holy;  for  the  more  hoty  they  are,  the  more  they 
attract.'  And,  he  adds,  'that  such  persons  are  not  aware  that 
the  devil  docs  not,  at  first,  lance  his  poisoned  arrows,  but 
those  only  which  touch  but  lightly,  and  thereby  increase  the 
affection.  Hence,  it  happens,  that  such  persons  do  not  conduct 
themselves  as  they  did  at  first,  like  angels,  but  as  if  they  were 
clothed  with  flesh.  But,  on  the  contrary,  they  mutually  eye 
one  another,  and  their  minds  arc  captivated  by  the  soft  and 
tender  expressions  which  pass  between  them,  and  which  still 
seem  to  them  to  proceed  from  the  first  fervors  of  their  devo- 
tion ;  hence  they  soon  begin  to  long  for  each  other's  company ; 
and  thus,  he  concludes,  '  the  spiritual  devotion  is  converted  into 
carnal.  And,  indeed,  O,  how  many  priests,  who  before  were  in- 


CLERICAL  SEDUCTION,  HOW  CONCEALED.  105 

nocent,  have,  on  account  of  these  attractions,  which  begin  in 
the  (spirit,  lost  both  God  and  their  soul!'     (Liguori,  N.  119.) 

"Moreover,  the  confessor  ought  not  to  be  so  fond  of  hear- 
ing the  confessions  of  women,  as  to  be  induced  thereby  to 
refuse  to  hear  the  confessions  of  men.  0,  how  wretched  it  is 
to  see  so  many  confessors,  who  spend  the  greater  part  of  the 
day  in  hearing  the  confessions  of  certain  religious  women,  who 
are  called  Bizocas  (a  kind  of  secular  nun),  and  when  they  after- 
wards see  men  or  married  women'  coming  to  confession  to 
them,  overwhelmed  in  the  cares  and  troubles  of  life,  and  who 
can  hardly  spare  time  to  leave  their  homes,  or  business,  how 
wretched  it  is  to  see  these  confessors  dismiss  them,  saying,  'J 
have  something  else  to  attend  to;  go  to  some  other  confessor ;"  hence 
it  happens,  that,  not  finding  any  other  confessor  to  whom  to 
confess,  they  live  during  months  and  years  without  sacraments, 
and  without  God."  (K  120.) 

It  is  evident  that  but  little  regard  is  at  present  given 
to  these  instructions.  Priests  are  not  deterred  by  dark- 
ness from  hearing  confessions.  The  obligations  of  se- 
crecy, the  obscurity  of  the  confessionals,  the  closed  doors, 
the  whispering,  and  especially  the  corrupting  nature  of 
the  communications,  all  declare  that  the  greater  the  dark- 
ness the  more  fervent  the  devotions  of  the  confessor. 
The  great  and  infallible  teacher  said,  "  Men  have 
loved  darkness  rather  than  light;  because  their  deeds 
were  evil." 

The  whole  instruction  indicates  that,  while  the  priest 
in  the  confessional  is  pretending  to  act  the  part  of  God, 
and  forgive  sins,  he  is  really  a  creature  of  burning  lust. 
It  also  shows  how  much  more  devout  the  priests  are  in 
hearing  the  confession  of  women  than  men,  and  the 
confession  of  nuns  and  young  women  than  the  married. 
These  facts  from  the  pen  of  a  saint  in  the  Church,  with 


106  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

the  indorsement  of  popes  and  bishops,  speak  in  accents 
of  thunder  to  Protestants,  Beware  of  the  confessional, 
because  of  the  affected  superior  sanctity  of  priests  and 
nuns !  We,  about  two  years  since,  heard  Father  Gar- 
esche,  of  St.  Louis,  the  distinguished  Jesuit  priest  and 
lecturer,  eulogize  the  nuns,  whom  he  said,  "  went  to  con- 
fession every  week."  He  said,  "  Look  at  them  as  they 
walk  the  streets,  as  pure  as  the  driven  snowr."  We 
thought  that,  with  equal  propriety,  an  old  Pharisee 
might  have  leaned  lovingly  against  a  whited  sepulcher, 
and  exclaimed,  What  a  beautiful  and  pure  vault  is  this ; 
no  dead  men's  bones  here !  Here  Father  Geresche 
waxed  warm  in  his  affected  zeal,  and  said,  in  substance, 
and  we  believe  in  exact  words, "  If  any  man  should  say 
to  me  that  there  is  any  thing  obscene  in  Auricular  Con- 
fession, clergyman  as  I  am,  I  would  knock  his  teeth 
down  his  throat."  On  the  next  day  we  inserted  in  the 
Bloomington  Journal  the  following  : 

"A  CHALLENGE. 

"FATHER  GARESCHE:  Sir — Since  you  have  appeared  before 
the  citizens  of  Bloomington  as  a  champion  of  Romanism, 
which  claims  for  its  adherents  exclusive  salvation  through  '  Au- 
ricular Confession'  and  the  'Power  of  the  Keys,' and  since, 
on  last  night,  you  publicly  declared  and  endeavored  to  prove 
that  God  had  appointed  the  Roman  clergy  'Vicegerents'  and 
'Vicars  of  Jesus  Christ,'  with  power  to  '  forgive  and  retain 
sins,'  and  since  you  made  a  denunciatory  effort  to  conceal  the 
horrible  obscenities  of  the  confessional,  you  will  permit  me  re- 
spectfully to  discard  your  denunciations,  den}*  your  arrogant 
assumptions,  and  hereby  challenge  you  to  prove  that  the  doc- 
trine of  Auricular  Confession  as  taught  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  is  accordant  with  reason  and  the  Bible.  The  discussion 


CLERICAL  SED  UCTION,  HO  W  CONCEALED.  107 

to  be  in  the  presence  of  men  only,  under  stipulated  rules,  and 
at  such  time  and  place  as  shall  be  mutually  adjusted.  And, 
inasmuch  as  the  dogma  to  be  discussed  is  one  of  the  main  pil- 
lars of  your  creed,  without  which  your  absolution  is  a  blas- 
phemous, ecclesiastical  farce,  I  shall  expect  an  early  and  favor- 
ably reply.  As  to  your  terrible  threat  that  you  '  would  knock 
a  man's  teeth  down  his  throat  who  said  that  there  was  any 
thing  obscene  in  Auricular  Confession,'  I  take  the  risk,  and 
hereby  give  you  due  notice  that  I  not  only  say  it,  but  I  am 
prepared  to  prove  that  horrible  obscenity  is  authorized  in  the  con- 
fessional, and  horrible  crimes  have  been  sanctioned  by  it,  and 
that  the  Roman  clergy  are  authorized  to  perjure  themselves  to 
conceal  the  abominations.  My  present  address  is  St.  Nicholas 
Hotel,  Bloomington,  111.  Respectfully, 

J.  G  WHITE, 

Minister  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 
JANUARY  8,  1873. 

Obtuse  as  are  the  perceptions  of  parish  priests,  we 
thought  that  Father  Garesche  would  understand  the 
above  ;  but  he  preferred  to  continue  to  whisper  in  the 
ears  of  females  his  chaste  theology,  about  "De  usu 
conjugii,"  "  De  luxuria,"  and  kindred  subjects.  We  fol- 
lowed him  with  lectures,  and  defiantly  challenged  him  to 
discussion,  but  our  teeth  sustained  no  damage.  We 
desired  to  meet  him  in  the  presence  of  men  alone,  where 
we  might,  with  propriety,  quote  from  his  approved  the- 
ology. The  fact  is,  the  subject  will  not  admit  thorough 
investigation,  except  in  presence  of  men  of  mature  age. 
How  long  shall  slumbering  Protestants  wink  at  the 
abominations  of  the  confessional,  and  permit  bachelor 
priests  and  their  licentious  theology  to  corrupt  society  ? 
Will  not  the  just  indignation  of  outraged  society  demand 
legal  enactments  to  suppress  the  confessional  in  common 


108  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

with  brothels,  to  which  it  is  so  nearly  allied,  and  to 
which  it  so  largely  contributes  ?  Let  facts  be  generally 
understood  and  outraged  virture  will  demand  the  sup- 
pression of  the  confessional  and  professed  sacerdotal 
celibacy,  as  prolific  sources  of  licentiousness. 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  109 


CHAPTER  X. 

CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL. 

"DEFORE  Auricular  Confession  was  established  by 
-^  canon  law  the  Church  of  Rome  was  notoriously  cor- 
rupt. Ambition,  usurpation,  and  avarice  exerted  their 
legitimate  influence ;  and  under  the  influence  of  Auricular 
Confession  she  has  continued  to  fall  more  deeply  into 
the  abyss  of  corrupting  error.  An  examination  of  the 
lives  of  the  popes  presents  a  record  of  crime  and  scandal 
scarcely  paralleled  in  the  history  of  pagan  Rome,  and 
sufficient  to  fill  every  mind  with  horror  and  disgust. 

Roman  historians  are  compelled  to  admit  the  dis- 
graceful corruption  of  many  of  the  popes  through  whom 
they  claim  an  "  unbroken,  holy,  apostolic  succession." 

A  few  facts  from  history  may  exhibit  links  in  this 
chain  of  infallibility.  Boniface  VIII,  Calixtus  III,  John 
XIII,  and  Boniface  IX  were  notoriously  covetous.  Ben- 
edict XII,  Adrian  IV,  Celestine  III,  Innocent  IV,  Alex- 
ander III,  Gregory  XIII,  Clement  V,  VI,  and  VII,  Bon- 
iface VIII,  Paul  II,  John  XXIII,  and  numerous  other 
popes,  were  proud  as  Satan,  which  is  but  one  character- 
istic of  all  the  popes.'  Sylvester  III,  and  all  his  succes- 
sors for  nine  or  ten  popes,  were  professed  conjurers.  Li- 
centiousness has  been  a  distinguishing  characteristic  of 


110  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

the  popes — their  number  too  numerous,  and  their  crimes 
too  abominable  to  mention. 

John  XII,  Gregory  V,  John  XIII,  Boniface  VII, 
Benedict  IX,  Innocent  III,  were  murderers.  Many 
popes  were  instigators  of  jealousies  and  discord  which 
cost  the  lives  of  thousands. 

Several  popes  have  been  schismatics,  two  and  three 
contending  for  the  supremacy  at  the  same  time.  These 
schisms  varied  from  two  to  six,  seven,  thirteen,  sixteen, 
twenty,  and  to  thirty-nine  years;  and,  during  these 
periods  of  ecclesiastical  strife,  popes  cursed  each  other 
and  fought  against  each  other,  while  multitudes  were 
slaughtered  by  their  cruel  ambition.  The  base  and  licen- 
tious popes,  John  X,  XI,  and  XII,  were  golden  links  in 
the  apostolic  chain  of  Romish  succession.  And,  if  suprem- 
acy necessarily  implies  infallibility,  the  prostitutes,  Maro- 
sia,  Theodora,  and  the  Countess  of  Tuscany,  might  each 
set  up  a  plausible  claim,  as  they  held  at  pleasure,  for  a 
time,  the  patrimony  of  St.  Peter. 

Barronius,  the  great  Roman  historian,  declares  that 
Pope  John  XI  was  "a  monster  of  iniquity:''  that  Pope 
John  XII  was  "a  gambler,  a  whoremonger,  seducer,  Sab- 
bath-breaker, bloodthirsty,  and  a  man  capable  of  all  in- 
iquities, and  that  he  died  in  the  midst  of  debauchery." 

These  facts  are  attested  by  the  writings  of  numerous 
Roman  historians. 

St.  Liguori  admits  that  "many  priests  have  lost  both 
God  and  their  own  souls,  by  hearing  the  confession  of 
women,  and  holding  communications  with  them." 


CORRUP.ION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  Ill 

The  following  facts,  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  Joseph 
Reeve,  a  distinguished  historian  of  the  Roman  Church, 
may  exhibit  a,  few  links  of  the  holy,  unbroken  suc- 
cession through  which  the  Roman  clergy  profess  to 
receive  power  to  forgive  sins,  and  from  whose  sacred 
treasure  of  surplus  righteousness  they  dispense  indul- 
gences. He  says : 

"Italy,  from  the  end  of  the  ninth  century,  as  we  have  seen, 
was  become  the  seat  of  faction  and  civil  discord.  The  ecclesi- 
astical slate  was  kept  in  a  long  and  disgraceful  servitude  by 
the  ambition  of  rival  senators,  by  the  Marquises  of  Tuscan}-, 
and  the  Earls  of  Tusculum.  By  those  petty  tyrants,  the  patri- 
mony of  St.  Peter  was  torn  to  pieces,  and  sacrilegiously  usurped. 
The  popes  were  not  masters  of  their  own  capital.  Raised  by 
faction,  as  it  happened,  or  by  intrigue,  they  lost  their  personal 
respectability,  were  often  insulted,  imprisoned,  and  even  mur- 
dered, by  the  prevailing  party. 

'•Two  sisters,  prostitutes,  Marozia  and  Theodora,  daughters 
of  the  lewd  Marchioness  of  Tuscany,  governed  Rome  by  their 
political  influence  and  criminal  intrigues.  To  these  disorders 
the  popes  themselves  contributed  in  no  small  degree.  After 
Stephen  IV,  who  died  in  891,  succeeded  Formosus,  Stephen 
VII,  Roman  us,  Theodore  II,  John  IX,  Benedict  IV,  Leo  V, 
Christopherus,  Serais  III,  Anastasious  111,  Lando,  John  X, 
Leo  VI,  Stephen  VIII,  John  XI,  Leo  VII,  Stephen  IX,  Mar- 
tinus  II,  Agapitus  II,  John  XII,  Leo  VIII,  Benedict  V,  John 
XIII,  Benedict  VI,  Donus  II,  Benedict  VII,  John  XIV,. Boni- 
face VII,  John  XV,  Gregory  V,  Sylvester  II. 

"Between  the  years  891  and  999,  here  are  one  and  thirty 
popes.  Their  number  is  a  clear  proof  that  the  reign  of  many 
of  them  was  short,  and  their  end  dishonorable.  Sergis  III  ex- 
hibited a  spectacle  of  scandal  of  which  the  Christian  world 
had  never  known  an  example,  a  sovereign  pontiff  clasped  in 
the  embraces  of  a  notorious  prostitute.  Sergis  III,  without 
regard  for  the  dignity  or  the  holiness  of  his  pontifical  charac- 
ter, publicly  avowed  his  criminal  connection  with  Marozia. 
By  her  he  had  a  son,  who,  under  his  mother's  influence,  crept 


112  A  UEICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

afterward  into  St.  Peter's  clmir,  by  the  name  of  Jolm  XI.  To 
the  infamy  of  his  spurious  birth  he  added  personal  vice,  in 
which  he  was  shameful  I}*  imitated  by  many  who,  in  that  cent- 
ury, were  raised  to  the  papal  throne  without  the  virtues  to 
merit  or  support  their  elevation."  (Keeve's  Ch.  Hist.,  p.  291.) 

Here  are  specimens  of  Romish  infallibility.  Here 
are  works  of  supererogation,  with  a  vengeance.  A  viler 
set  of  whoremongers  and  drunkards  were,  probably,  never 
congregated  this  side  of  hell;  and  yet  these  drunken, 
debauched,  shameless  beasts,  in  the  form  of  men,  were 
at  the  head  of  the  Romish  sect,  which  professed  infalli- 
bility, and  pretended  to  perform  superabundant  good 
works. 

Again,  Reeve  says,  pages  315,  316: 

"Simony  and  incontinence  had  struck  deep  root  among  the 
clergy  of  England.  Italy.  Germany,  and  France.  [A.  D.  1074.] 
The  evil  began  under  those  unworthy  popes  \vlio  so  shamefully 
disgraced  the  tiara  by  their  immoral  conduct  in  the  tenth 
century.  The  scandal  spread,  and  had  now  continued  so  long 
that  the  inferior  clergy  pleaded  custom  for  their  irregularities. 
Many  of  the  bishops  were  equally  unfaithful  to  their  vows,  and 
with  greater  guilt.  Hence  the  corrupt  laity,  being  under  no 
apprehension  of  reproof  from  men  as  deeply  immersed  in  vice 
as  they,  gave  free  scope  to  their  passions." 

Here  is  a  specimen  of  Romish  virtue  and  holiness, 
when  popes  were  in  power,  when  kings  and  emperors 
bowed  their  necks  to  ecclesiastical  dictators,  and  vile 
prostitutes  and  their  pontifical  paramours  reveled  in  gross 
licentiousness. 

These  were  the  palmy  days  of  papal  Rome,  the  sa- 
cred memory  of  which  she  now  cherishes,  and  for  the 
return  of  which  her  energies  are  concentrated,  and  her 


COEEUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  113 

priests  and  nuns  pray  most  devoutly.  These  were  the 
triumphal  days  of  the  mother  of  harlots.  May  they 
never  return  to  curse  the  world ! 

In  that  darkest  period  of  the  world's  history,  when 
licentiousness  overwhelmed  the  Romish  sect,  including 
bishops  and  popes,  the  doctrine  of  Auricular  Confes- 
sion, and  other  kindred  heresies,  were  projected  by 
the  clergy,  and  accepted  by  ignorant  dupes  of  papal 
despotism. 

Truth  promotes  intelligence  and  virtue.  Auricular 
Confession  is  the  offspring  of  Popery,  and  a  prolific 
source  of  ignorance  and  vice. 

The  Bible  teaches  that  God  alone  can  forgive  sins. 
The  doctrine  of  Auricular  Confession  is  predicated  on  the 
blasphemous  assumption  that  any  priest,  bishop,  or  pope 
can  forgive  sins. 

God  proclaims  pardon  on  the  condition  of  faith,  with- 
out money  or  price. 

The  Roman  clergy  offer  pardon  on  condition  of  pen- 
ance with  both  money  and  price. 

God  declares  that  he  blots  out  transgressions,  and  re- 
remembers  iniquities  no  more. 

The  Romish  clergy  say  sins  may  be  pardoned,  but 
must  afterward  be  purged  in  purgatory,  if  not  commuted 
by  indulgences. 

The  Lord  said,  "Cursed  be  the  man  that  trusteth  in 
man,  and  maketh  flesh  his  arm." 

The  Romish  clergy  say  the  man  shall  be  blessed  who 
trusteth  in  them  and  the  merits  of  saints. 


114  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

The  Lord  said  : 

"  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me. 

"Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  imnge,  or  the 
likeness  of  of.  any  tiling  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is  in 
the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth  : 

"  Thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thyself  to  them,  nor  serve  them." 
(Exodus  xx,  3-5.) 

The  Roman  clergy  say  you  shall  make  images  and 
pictures,  and  bow  down  before  them ;  you  shall  worship 
Gods  made  of  bread,  wine,  and  wax ;  you  shall  wear 
scapulars,  repeat  prayers  of  beads,  kiss  medals,  and  above 
all,  pray  devoutly  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  by  so  doing, 
you  will  obtain  indulgences,  escape  purgatory,  contribute 
to  the  treasury  of  the  Church,  and  be  infallibly  sure  of 
heaven.  Thus  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Romish  clergy 
contradict  each  other. 

Let  God  be  true,  and  the  doctrine  of  Auricular  Con- 
fession a  lie. 

"A  strange  belief  that  leaned  its  idiot  back 

On  folly's  topmost  twig — 
A  lazy,  corpulent, 

And  ever  credulous  faith,  that 
Stepped  on,  but  never  earnestly  inquired 

"Whether  to  hea,ven  or  hell  the  journey  led." 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  115 


CHAPTER  XI. 

CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL,  CONTINUED. 

ID  EV.  JOSEPH  BLANCO  WHITE,  once  a  distinguished 
-*-  priest  in  Spain,  and  subsequently  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England,  bears  his  testimony  to  the  gross  and 
revolting  licentiousness  of  the  Spanish  clergy.  (See 
Practical  and  Internal  Evidences  against  Catholicism.) 

This  work,  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-four  pnges, 
discloses  the  inner  life  of  priests  and  nuns  in  convents 
and  monasteries,  and  the  corrupting  influence  of  the  con- 
fessional on  the  minds  of  youth  and  females.  It  also 
exhibits,  to  an  alarming  extent,  the  power  of  the  confes- 
sional to  enslave  men,  and  sustain  a  corrupt  ecclesiastical 
despotism.  The  author  exposes  the  criminal  character 
of  the  clergy  of  Spain,  and  declares  that,  in  their  bac- 
chanalian orgies,  they  often,  with  jest  and  ribaldry,  dis- 
close the  obscene  communications  of  the  confessional, 
and  boast  of  the  number  of  children  born  unto  them 
within  a  "few  days"  by  their  concubines.  On  account 
of  the  indelicacy  of  the  subject,  he  acknowledged  his 
inability  to  present  the  facts  in  a  work  published  for  the 
general  reader. 

On  pages  111  and  112,  he  says  of  the  priests : 

•'I  have  known  the  best  among  them;  I  have  heard  their 
confessions;  I  have  heard  the  confessions  of  young  persons  of 


116  A  UEICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

both  sexes,  who  fell  under  the  influence  of  their  suggestions 
and  example;  and  I  do  declare  that  nothing  can  be  more  dan- 
gerous to  youthful  virtue  than  their  company. 

"How  many  souls  would  have  been  saved  from  crime,  but 
for  their  vain  display  of  pretended  superior  virtue,  which 
Rome  demands  of  her  clergy. 

"The  cares  of  married  life,  it  is  said,  interfere  with  the 
duties  of  the  clergy.  Do  not  the  cares  of  a  vicious  life,  the 
anxieties  of  stolen  love,  the  contrivances  of  adulterous  inter- 
course, the  pains,  the  jealousies,  the  remorse,  to  a  conduct  in 
perfect  contradiction  with  a  public  and  solemn  profession  of 
virtue — do  not  these  cares,  these  bitter  feelings,  interfere  with 
the  duties  of  the  priesthood?" 

Thus  writes  a  man  of  culture,  who  once  stood  high 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Roman  clergy,  and  for  many 
years  had  personal  knowledge  of  the  practical  results  of 
Auricular  Confession.  He  draws  aside  the  curtain,  and 
discloses  the  hidden  mysteries  of  convent  life  in  relation 
to  the  clergy  and  the  confessional. 

He  says,  on  page  112  : 

"  The  picture  of  female  convents  requires  a  more  delicate 
pencil;  yet  I  can  not  find  tints  sufficiently  dark  and  gloom}- to 
portray  the  miseries  which  I  have  witnessed  in  their  inmates. 
Crime,  indeed,  makes  its  way  into  those  recesses,  in  spite  of  the 
spiked  walls  and  prison  gates  which  protect  the  inhabitants. 
This  I  know,  with  all  the  certainty  which  the  self-accusation 
of  guilt  can  give." 

He  further  shows,  what  ought  to  be  known  to  every 
American  citizen,  that  nuns  are  slaves  to  their  ecclesias- 
tical superiors.  That  the  Council  of  Trent  enjoins  on 
all  bishops  to  enforce  the  close  confinement  of  nuns  by 
every  means,  and  even  to  engage  the  assistance  of  the 
secular  arm  for  that  purpose;  and  entreats  all  princes  to 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  117 

protect  the  inclosure  of  the  convents;  and  threatens  ex- 
communication on  all  civil   magistrates    who   withhold 
their  aid  when  the  bishops  call  for  it. 
The  Council  of  Trent  says : 

"Let  no  professed  nun  come  out  of  her  monastery  under 
any  pretext  whatever,  not  even  for  a  moment." 

"If  any  of  the  regulars  [men  or  women  under  perpetual 
vows]  pretend  that  fear  or  force  compelled  them  to  enter  the 
cloister,  or  that  the  profession  took  place  before  the  appointed 
age,  let  them  not  be  heard,  except  within  five  years  of  their 
profession.  But  if  they  put  off  the  frock  of  their  own  accord, 
no  allegation  of  such  should  be  heard:  but,  being  compelled  to 
return  to  the  convent,  they  must  be  punished  as  apostates,  being, 
in  the  mean  time,  deprived  of  all  the  privileges  of  their  order." 

In  the  cases  of  Milly  M'Pherson,  of  Kentucky,  and 
Barbara  Kubrick,  of  Craco,  Austria,  we  have  illustra- 
tions of  the  Christian  punishment  of  nuns  who  violate 
convent  rules,  or  refuse  to  submit  to  the  dictation 
and  seduction  of  their  father  confessors.  It  is  evident 
that  the  former  went  to  a  premature  grave  by  the  hand 
of  an  assassin,  or  to  a.  prison  from  which  she  has 
not  escaped,  and  the  latter  to  a  dungeon  twenty-one 
years,  and  after  suffering,  mentally  and  physically,  more 
than  a  thousand  deaths,  she  was  rescued  by  the  civil 
authorities,  and  survived  long  enough  to  recite  her  story 
of  woe.  According  to  their  statements  they  were  pun- 
ished because  they  refused  to  prostitute  themselves  in 
complyance  with  the  wishes  of  licentious  priests.  The 
records  of  the  court  at  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  disclose 
the  facts  in  the  case  of  Milly  M'Pherson.  Rev.  N.  L. 


118  A  VRICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Rice  published  the  results  of  a  malicious  prosecution  on 
the  part  of  priest  Elder  and  others,  which  was  only  the 
dodge  of  a  Jesuit  cuttle-fish  to  divert  attention  from  the 
guilty  party,  and  save  the  character  of  the  convent.  The 
report  was  of  a  nature  to  damage  an  innocent  priest  and 
a  pure  institution  of  learning.  In  this  case  the  jury  es- 
timated the  damage  at  " one  cent"  and  doubtless  they 
took  into  the  account  the  fact  that  some  men  and  insti- 
tutions are  not  susceptible  of  being  slandered,  their  cor- 
ruption is  so  notorious. 

The  acknowledged  ability  and  veracity  of  Dr.  Rice 
gives  weight  to  all  he  says  and  does,  and  the  fact  of  only 
"one  cent"  damage  assessed,  and  under  special  instruc- 
tion, is  conclusive  evidence  that  the  jury  understood  the 
facts,  and,  as  they  certify,  would  have  returned  a  verdict 
for  the  defendant  but  for  the  instruction  of  the  Judge. 
The  damaging  fact  is,  that  more  than  thirty-five  years 
have  passed  away,  and  Milly  MTherson  has  not  been 
found.  The  fact  that  the  Roman  clergy  did  not  produce 
her  in  court  in  order  to  gain  their  ten  thousand  dollars, 
is  evidence  conclusive  that  they  could  not.  Men  who 
perform  foetal  baptisms  and  sell  indulgences,  would  not 
knowingly  neglect  such  a  golden  harvest. 

Doubtless  Milly  M'Pherson  has  long  since  gone  for- 
ever beyond  the  corrupting  influences  of  the  confessional 
and  convent. 

The  Italian  patriot  Gavazzi  says : 

"The  latest  efforts  of  confessors  are  against  civil  and  religi- 
ous freedom.     .     .    .    Remember  my  words,  and  may  they  bo 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  119 

profitable !  We  have  in  Italy  (and  their  mystical  operation 
extends  all  over  the  world)  three  bulls,  of  three  different  popes, 
Pius  VII,  Leo  XII,  and  Gregory  XVI,  obliging  all  penitents 
to  discover  all  among  their  relatives  who  are  adherents  to  the 
liberal  cause.  Thus  all  names  of  all  patriots  are  known  to  the 
authorities  of  the  Church ;  so  that  in  my  Italy  such  a  control 
over  one  heart  (generally  a  female  one)  implicates  many  in  tho 
mesh.  Sisters  betray  their  brothers,  wives  their  husbands,  and 
— what  is  horrible  to  say,  what  is  jigainst  the  law  of  nature, 
what  is  possible  only  in  the  cruel  system  of  Home — mothers  are 
obliged  to  accuse  their  poor  children !  "We  have  in  Italy  not 
one,  but  hundreds  of  thousands  of  brothers,  husbands,  and 
sons,  young  men,  condemned  to  the  galleys,  exile,  the  scaffold, 
only  in  order  that  their  sisters,  wives,  and  mothers  can  receive 
sacramental  absolution  from  the  priests.  You  will  perhaps  say: 
that  does  not  touch  us — such  kind  of  perfidy  never  will  ap- 
proach American  shores;  Americans,  Americans,  you  mistake 
Popery !  Here  she  must  be  in  disguise ;  but  in  her  heart  she 
is  always  Popery.  And  secretly  she  will  do  in  America  what 
openly  in  Italy.  She  can  not  be  better  in  her  nature  because 
Americanized.  If  you  do  not  know  the  sj'stem,  hear  for  your 
benefit  what  it  is  abroad,  in  order  to  save  from  its  snares  your 
dear  country.  In  the  short  but  glorious  period  of  our  Roman 
.Republic  (Americans !  hear  an  Italian),  we  found  in  the  palace 
of  the  Inquisition  at  Rome  a  large  book,  with  the  correspond- 
ence of  all  the  bishops  throughout  the  Christian  world,  in  which 
correspondence  we  found  the  names  of  all  patriots,  leaders  of 
liberals,  among  all  nations,  not  only  Italians,  but  Frenchmen, 
Spaniards,  Portuguese,  AMERICANS,  Mexicans,  all  diligently  col- 
lected, and  sent  from  the  bishops  of  all  the  Christian  world  to 
the  Inquisition  of  Rome.  This  is  Auricular  Confession!"  (Ga- 
vazzi's  Lectures,  pages  242,  243,  and  244.) 

Those  who  have  not  read  Gavazzi's  lectures  would 
do  well  to  read  them  with  special  reference  to  the  con- 
fessional and  the  corrupting  influence  of  the  clergy 
through  the  confessional. 


120  A  URICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

TESTIMONY  OF  AN  EYE-WITNESS. 

The  Rev.  L.  Giustiniani,  D.  D.,  once  a  priest  in 
Rome,  afterward  a  minister  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  published  a  work  in  1843,  entitled  "Papal Home 
as  it  Is.  By  a  Roman"  It  is  worthy  of  being  read  by 
every  American  citizen.  The  Doctor  having  resided  in 
the  city  of  Rome  itself,  the  very  "seat  of  the  beast," 
and  who  was  therefore  perfectly  acquainted  with  the 
practical  operation  of  Auricular  Confession,  gives  numer- 
ous illustrations  of  its  corrupting  influence  from  personal 
observation,  two  of  which  we  here  present. 

The  first  is  in  reference  to  a  young  lady  of  about 
seventeen  years  old,  in  the  family  where  the  Doctor  was 
boarding.  He  says: 

"One  day  the  mother  told  her  daughter  to  prepnrft  to  go 
with  her  to-morrow  to  confess  and  to  commune.  The  mother, 
unfortunate!}*,  feeling  unwell  the  next  morning,  the  young  lady 
had  to  go  by  herself;  when  she  returned,  her  eyes  showed  that 
she  had  wept,  and  her  countenance  indicated  that  something 
unusual  had  happened.  The  mother,  as  a  matter  of  course,  in- 
quired the  cause,  but  she  wept  bitterly,  and  said  she  was 
ashamed  to  tell  it.  Then  the  mother  insisted ;  so  the  daughter 
told  her  that  the  parish  priest,  to  whom  she  constantly  con- 
fessed, asked  her  questions  this  time  which  she  could  not  re- 
pent without  a  blush.  She,  however,  repeated  some  of  them, 
which  were  of  the  most  licentious  and  corrupting  tendency — 
which  were  better  suited  to  the  lowest  sink  of  debauchery 
than  the  confessional.  Then  he  gave  her  some  instructions 
which  decency  forbids  me  to  repeat;  gave  her  absolution,  and 
told  her,  before  she  communed,  she  must  come  into  his  house, 
which  was  contiguous  to  the  church  ;  the  unsuspecting  young 
creature  did  as  the  father  confessor  told  her.  The  rest,  the 
reader  can  imagine.  The  parents,  furious,  would  immediately 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  121 

have  gone  to  the  archbishop,  and  laid  before  him  the  com- 
plaint; but  I  advised  them  to  let  it  be  as  it  was,  because  they 
would  injure  the  character  of  their  daughter  more  than  the 
priest.  All  the  punishment  he  would  have  received,  is  a  sus- 
pension for  a  month  or  two,  and  then  be  placed  in  another 
parish,  or  even  remain  where  he  is.  With  such  brutal  acts, 
the  history  of  the  confessional  is  full."  (Papal  Rome  as  it  Is, 
pages  83  and  84.) 

The  other  illustration  is  in  reference  to  the  manner 
of  confessing  sick  penitents  in  their  bed  chambers  in 
the  city  of  Rome.  On  pages  188  and  189  the  Doctor 
says : 

"Only  go  to  Rome  and  you  will  see  the  indisposed  fair  peni- 
tent remain  in  her  bed,  and  the  Franciscan  friar,  leaving  his 
sandals  before  the  door  of  her  bed-chamber,  as  an  indication 
that  he  is  performing  some  ecclesiastical  act,  then  none,  not 
even  the  husband,  can  enter  the  chamber  of  his  wife,  until  the 
Franciscan  friar  has  finished  his  business  and  leaves  the  cham- 
ber; then  the  husband,  with  reverence,  ready  waiting  at  the 
door,  kisses  the  hand  of  the  father  Franciscan  for  his  kindness 
for  having  administered  spiritual  comfort  to  his  wife,  and  Very 
often  he  gives  him  a  dollar  to  say  a  mass  for  his  indisposed 
spouse.  .  .  . 

"But  why  shall  I  speak  of  the  moral  corruption  of  Popery 
in  Rome?  It  is  everywhere  the  same;  it  appears  differently, 
but  never  changes  its  character.  In  America,  where  female 
virtue  is  the  characteristic  of  the  nation — the  only  stronghold 
of  the  American  Republic — it  is  under  the  control  of  the  priest. 
If  a  Roman  Catholic  lady,  the  wife  of  a  free  American,  should 
choose  to  have  the  priest  in  her  bed-room,  she  has  only  to 
pretend  to  be  indisposed,  and  asking  for  the  spiritual  father, 
the  confessor,  no  other  person,  not  even  the  husband,  dare 
enter.  In  Rome  it  would  be  at  the  risk  of  his  life;  in  Amer- 
ica, at  the  risk  of  being  excommunicated,  and  deprived  of 
all  spiritual  privileges  of  the  Church,  and  even  excluded  from 
heaven." 


122  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

A  celebrated  orator  in  the  Council  of  Trent,  Father 
Antonius  Pagannes,  is  reported  to  have  said  : 

"I  am  silent  respecting  adulteries,  rapes,  and  robberies;  I 
pass  over  the  great  effusion  of  Christian  blood,  unlawful  exac- 
tions, impositions  gratuitously  accumulated,  and  for  whatever 
cause  they  were  introduced,  persevered  in  without  cause,  and 
the  innumerable  oppressions  of  this  kind;  I  pass  over  the  proud 
pomp  of  clothing,  extraordinary  expenses  beyond  the  require- 
ments of  their  station  in  life,  drunkenness,  surfeits,  and  the 
inordinate  filthincss  of  luxury,  such  as  never  took  place  before. 
"Women  were  never  less  modest  and  bashful ;  young  men  were 
never  more  unbridled  and  undisciplined  ;.  the  old  were  never 
more  irreligious  and  foolish  ;  in  fine,  never  was  there  in  any 
person  less  fear  of  God,  honor,  virtue,  and  modesty  ;  and  never 
did  carnal  licentiousness,  abuse,  and  irregularity  prevail  to 
such  an  extent.  For  what  greater  abuse  and  irregularity  can 
be  imagined  than  a  pastor  without  watchfulness,  a  preacher 
without  works,  a  judge  without  equity,  a  lawyer  without 
honesty,  a  magistrate  without  decorum,  laws  without  observ- 
ance, a  people  without  obedience,  religious  professors  without 
devotion,  the  rich  without  shame,  the  poor  without  humility, 
women  without  purity,  the  young  without  discipline,  the  old 
without  prudence,  and  every  Christian  without  religion  /" 

Such  is  the  picture  of  unrestrained  Popery,  as  drawn 
by  one  of  its  friends  at  the  Council  of  Trent,  and  such 
are  its  characteristic  influences  every-where,  and  in 
all  ages. 

Rev.  John  Dowling,  D.  D.,  a  distinguished  Baptist 
clergyman  of  New  York,  writing  on  Auricular  Con- 
fession, says  : 

"A  single  fact  will  be  sufficient  to  show  the  awful  extent,  in 
Popish  countries,  of  this  crime  of  illicit  intercourse  with  females 
at  confession.  About  1560,  a  bull  was  issued  by  Pope  Pius  IV, 
directing  the  Inquisition  to  inquire  into  the  prevalence  of  this 
crime,  which  begins  as  follows:  '"Whereas,  certain  ecclesiastics 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  123 

in  the  kingdom  of  Spain,  and  in  the  cities  and  dioceses  thereof, 
having  the  cure  of  souls,  or  exercising  such  cure  for  others,  or 
otherwise  deputed  to  hear  the  confessions  of  penitents,  have 
broken  out  into  such  heinous  acts  of  iniquity  as  to  abuse  the 
sacrament  of  penance  in  the  very  act  of  hearing  the  confes- 
sions, nor  fearing  to  injure  the  same  sacrament,  and  him  who 
instituted  it,  our  Lord  God  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  by  en- 
ticing and  provoking,  or  trying  to  entice  and  provoke,  females  to 
lewd  actions,  at  the  very  time  when  they  were  making  their 
confessions,1  etc. 

"Upon  the  publication  of  this  bull  in  Spain,  the  Inquisition 
issued  an  edict  requiring  all  females  who  had  been  thus  abused 
by  the  priests  at  the  confessional,  and  all  who  were  privy  to 
such  acts,  to  give  information,  within  thirty  days,  to  the  holy 
tribunal ;  and  very  heavy  censures  were  attached  to  those  who 
should  neglect  or  despise  tin's  injunction.  When  this  edict  was 
first  published,  such  a  considerable  number  of  females  went  to 
the  palace  of  the  inquisitor,  in  the  single  city  of  Seville,  to 
reveal  the  conduct  of  their  infamous  confessors,  that  twenty 
notaries,  and  as  many  inquisitors,  were  appointed  to  minute 
down  their  several  informations  against  them;  but  these  being 
found  insufficient  to  receive  the  depositions  of  so  many  witnesses, 
and  the  inquisitors  being  thus  overwhelmed,  as  it  were,  with 
the  pressure  of  such  affairs,  thirty  days  more  were  allowed  for 
taking  the  accusations;  and  this  lapse  of  time  also  proving  in- 
adequate to  the  intended  purpose,  a  similar  period  was  granted 
not  only  for  a  third  but  a  fourth  time.  Maids  and  matrons,  of 
every  rank  and  station,  crowded  to  the  Iniquisition.  Modesty, 
shame,  and  a  desire  of  concealing  the  facts  from  their  hus- 
bands, induced  many  to  go  veiled.  But  the  multitude  of 
depositions,  and  the  odium  which  the  discovery  threw  on 
Auricular  Confession  and  the  Popish  priesthood,  caused  the 
Inquisition  to  quash  the  prosecutions,  and  to  consign  the 
depositions  to  oblivion."  (See  Bowling's  History  of  Romanism, 
pp.  335,  336.) 

We  extract  the  following  from  pages  166,  167,  of 
"  Romanism  not  Christianity,"  by  Rev.  N.  L.  Rice, 
D.  D.,  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 


124  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Church,  whose    intelligence   and   veracity  may  not  be 
questioned  : 


"I  beg  leave  here,  also,  to  adduce  the  testimony  of 
Thompson,  Esq,  late  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  the  United 
States  at  Mexico,  concerning  the  character  of  the  clergy  of  that 
country.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  intelligence  and  standing,  not 
a  member,  I  believe,  of  any  Church,  and  not  chargeable,  so  far 
as  I  know,  with  any  prejudice  against  the  Roman  clergy. 
He  saj's  : 

"'I  do  not  think  that  the  clergy  of  Mexico,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  are  men  of  as  much  learning  as  the  Catholic  clergy 
generally  in  other  countries.  The  lower  orders  of  priests  and 
friars  are  generally  entirely  uneducated,  and,  I  regret  to  add, 
as  generally  licentious.  There  is  no  night  in  the  year  that  the 
most  revolting  spectacles  of  vice  and  immorality  on  the  part 
of  the  priests  and  friars,  are  not  to  be  seen  in  the  streets  of 
Mexico.  I  have  never  seen  any  class  of  men  who  so  generally 
have  such  a  roue  appearance  as  the  priests  and  friars  whom 
one  constantly  meets  in  the  streets.  Of  the  higher  orders  and 
more  respectable  members  of  the  priesthood,  I  can  not  speak 
with  the  same  confidence;  if  they  are  vicious,  the}*  are  riot 
publicly  and  indecently  so.  Very  many  of  them  have  several 
nephews  and  nieces  in  their  houses,  or,  at  least,  those  who  call 
them  uncle.  The  reason  given  for  the  injunction  of  celibacy, 
that  those  who  are  dedicated  to  the  priesthood  should  not  be 
encumbered  with  the  care  of  a  family,  is,  I  think,  in  Mexico, 
much  more  theoretical  than  practical.'  " 

Dr.  Rice  adds: 

"  Such  is  the  character  of  the  priesthood  in  Roman  coun- 
tries; and  I  have  in  preceding  lectures  proved,  even  by  Roman 
writers,  that  in  former  times  even  the  popes  were  far  more  im- 
moral than  Thompson  represents  the  clergy  of  Mexico.  Are 
those  of  the  United  States  much  better?  There  is  a  public 
sentiment  in  our  Protestant  country  that  compels  them  to  walk 
circumspectly;  but  the  facilities  for  secret  vice,  afforded  by  the 
confessional  and  nunneries,  are  such  that  they  can  not  be  easily 
detected.  Many  of  them,  moreover,  are  foreigners,  whose 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  125 

characters  have  been  formed  in  Roman  countries,  where  the 
clergy  are  generally  of  loose  morals;  and  they  certainly  have 
the  appearance,  generally,  of  men  not  given  to  a  great  deal 
of  abstinence  —  men  who  give  no  evidence  of  extraordinary 
sanctity." 

Will  any  sane  man  pretend  that  Rev.  Joseph  Blanco 
White,  Rev.  N.  L.  Rice,  D.  D.,  ex-Minister  Thompson, 
the  Italian  statesman  Gavazzi,  and  others,  are  narrow- 
minded  bigots  or  illiterate  men?  It  is  not  enough  for 
the  Romish  clergy  to  fall  back  upon  their  assumed  dig- 
nity, and  pronounce  all  a  Protestant  slander.  The  facts 
are  before  the  world,  and  they  challenge  investigation. 

Rev.  Edward  Beecher  says  : 

"I  ask  your  particular  attention  to  the  pernicious  influence 
of  Komanism  on  the  morals  of  community  in  this  respect, 
that  you  may  learn  to  what  a  depth  of  immorality  and  vice 
this  country  would  be  plunged  if  Popery  should  prevail.  By 
the  returns  laid  before  Parliament,  it  appears  that  in  London 
the  proportion  of  illegitimate  births  is  lour  per  cent;  in  Paris, 
it  is  thirty-three;  in  Brussels,  thirty-six;  in  Munich,  twenty- 
five ;  in  Vienna,  fifty-one  per  cent.  The  amount  of  immorality 
thus  manifested  is  a  hundred-fold  greater  in  some  Romish  parts 
of  Europe  than  in  any  part  of  Protestant  England.  In  Eome, 
the  city  of  popes,  cardinals,  archbishops,  bishops,  priests, 
monks,  and  nuns,  they  dare  not  make  returns.  But  one  fact 
speaks  for  itself.  The  number  of  births  in  Rome,  by  Dr. 
Bowring's  returns,  is  four  thousand  three  hundred  and  odd  per 
annum  ;  and,  by  the  returns  of  JMittermeyer,  the  number  of 
foundlings  in  the  different  foundling  institutions  in  Rome,  dur- 
ing a  period  of  ten  years,  gives  a  return  of  three  thousand  one 
hundred  arid  sixty  per  annum.  Hobart  Seymour,  from  whom 
I  take  these  statistics,  says:  'All  this  certainly  speaks  very 
strongly  of  the  immorality  of  Rome,  or  declares  that  if  the 
mothers  be  married  mothers  they  are  the  most  unnatural 
mothers  in  the  world.' 

"An    examination    by   Mr.    Seymour    of    the    official    and 


126  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Governmental  returns  of  every  .Roman  Catholic  country  in 
Europe,  in  fifteen  or  twenty  folio  volumes,  enabled  him  to 
say  that  Popery  is  universally  the  mother  of  vice  and 
crime.  Thus,  in  England  the  ratio  of  murders,  during  ten 
years,  was  four  to  a  million  ;  during  the  same  time,  in  Ireland, 
it  was  forty-five  to  a  million  per  annum,  and  in  the  most  fa- 
vorable years  never  less  than  nineteen  to  a  million.  In  Bel- 
gium, one  of  'the  best  Romish  countries,  the  murders  are 
eighteen  to  a  million  ;  in  France,  thirty-one  to  a  million  ;  in 
Austria,  the  great  pillar  of  Popery,  thirty-six  to  a  million;  in 
Bavaria,  a  llomish  state,  including  homicides,  sixty  eight  per- 
sons to  a  million — excluding  homicides,  thirty  to  a  million;  in 
Italy,  in  the  Venetian  and  Milanese  provinces,  forty-five  to  a 
million;  in  Tuscan}-,  forty-two  to  a  million;  in  the  States  of 
the  Pope,  one  hundred  to  a  million;  in  Sicily,  ninety  to  a 
million  ;  in  Naples,  doubly  cursed  by  Popeiy  and  the  most  un- 
mitigable  Popish  civil  despotism,  two  hundred  to  a  million. 
The  average  of  all  these  Papal  nations  is  seventy-five  to  a 
million.  'In  Italy,'  says  Seymour,  'the  land  of  popes,  cardi- 
nals, bishops,  priests,  monks,  and  nuns,  there  i-»  perpetrated 
such  an  amount  of  murder  that  the  number  of  persons  killed 
every  year  in  cold  blood  is  greater  than  the  number  of  men 
that  have  fallen  in  some  of  the  most  terrific  struggles  on  the 
modern  battle-fields  of  Europe."  (Papal  Conspiracy  Exposed, 
by  Beechcr.) 

According  to  the  above  returns  laid  before  the  British 
Parliament,  about  three-fourths  of  all  the  children  born 
in  Holy  Rome — the  mother  of  harlots — are  foundlings. 
Their  mothers  are  not  known,  much  less  their  fathers. 
In  this  Protestant  country,  where  the  people  are  not  yet 
prepared  for  a  national  tax  to  sustain  '•'•foundling  institu- 
tions" the  nondescripts  may  find  a  home  with  the 
"sisters"  and  "fathers,"  where,  if  history  be  true,  many 
of  them  legitimately  belong. 

These  are  but  specimens,  and  are  corroborated  by  all 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  .    127 

unprejudiced  minds  who  have  thoroughly  investigated 
the  subject.  On  account  of  the  apathy  or  criminal  in- 
indifference  on  this  subject  of  many  Protestants  in. 
America,  we  give  additional  facts. 

William  Hogan,  Esq.,  formerly  a  Roman  priest,  from 
Ireland,  published  "A  Synopsis  of  Popery  as  it  was  and 
as  it  is,"  in  1849,  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  He  certifies 
that  he  left  Ireland,  and  ultimately  the  Romish  Church, 
on  account  of  the  corruption  of  the  clergy  relative  to 
females  in  the  confessional  and  the  convent.  He  dis- 
closes seduction,  infanticide,  and  murder,  in  their  most 
horrid  forms.  He  gives  times,  places,  and  circum- 
stances, and  which,  if  not  true,  would  have  subjected 
him  to  the  severest  penalties ;  and  the  fact  that  he  was 
not  prosecuted  for  slander  by  the  priests  implicated,  is 
evidence  that  they  dare  not  attempt  to  disprove  the  facts. 
He  speaks  of  the  confessional,  and  denominates  it/  a 
"woman-trap"  and  "nunneries" — modestly  called — "are 
Popish  brothels."  This  language  is  strong,  but  fully 
sustained  by  the  horrible  disclosures  he  makes.  The 
work,  to  be  appreciated,  should  be  carefully  read ;  and, 
since  it  can  only  be  had  by  few,  we  will  quote  from  it 
more  fully. 

When  discussing  Auricular  Confession  and  Popish 
nunneries,  he  says : 

"Every  crime,  as  I  have  stated  before,  which  the  .Romish 
Church  sanctions,  and  almost  all  the  immoralities  of  its  mem- 
bers, either  originate  in,  or  have  some  connection  with, 
Auricular  Confession."  (p.  15.) 


128  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Among  the  influences  which  cause  him  to  renounce 
Romanism  he  enumerates  the  ruin  and  early  death  of 
innocent  and  virtuous  girls  through  the  confessional  and 
convent.  Many  of  the  daughters  of  Protestant  parents, 
proselyted  through  the  female  Jesuits  of  the  nunnery,  se- 
duced by  their  confessors,  and  poisoned  or  otherwise  dis- 
posed of  to  prevent  scandal.  He  speaks  from  personal 
observation  and  from  a  knowledge  of  the  facts  through 
the  confessional.  While  he  was  a  priest  and  had  knowl- 
edge of  the  facts,  his  lips  were  closed  by  his  obligation 
of  eternal  secrecy.  He  solemnly  warns  American  Prot- 
estant mothers  against  the  folly  and  danger  of  intrusting 
their  innocent  daughters  to  the  seductive  influence  of  the 
"  semi-reverend  crones  called  nuns."  He  says  : 

"Eveiy  confessor  lias  a  concubine,  and  there  are  very  few 
of  them  who  have  not  several.  Evei*y  nun  has  a  confessor. 
.  .  .  There  is  scarcely  one  of  them  who  has  not  been  herself 
debauched  by  her  confessor." 

This  is  strong  language,  but  the  man  who  used  it  had 
officiated  as  a  priest  in  the  confessional  on  both  conti- 
nents, and  had  himself  often  heard  the  confession  of 
nuns.  Again,  on  page  28,  Mr.  Ilogan  says  : 

"The  mother  abbess,  or  superior  of  the  convent,  who  in- 
variably is  the  deepest  in  sin  of  the  whole,  and  who,  from  her 
age  and  long  practice,  is  almost  constitutionally  a  hypocrite, 
appears  in  public  the  most  meek,  the  most  bland,  the  most  cour- 
teous, and  the  most  humble  Christian.  She  is  peculiarly  atten- 
tive to  those  who  have  any  money  in  their  own  right;  she 
tells  them  they  are  beautiful,  fascinating,  tliat  they  look  like 
angels,  that  this  world  is  not  a  fit  residence  for  them,  that  they 
are  too  good  for  it,  that  they  ought  to  become  nuns  in  order  to 
fit  them  for  a  higher  and  better  station  in  heaven.  Nothing 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  129 

* 

more  is  necessary  than  to  become  a  Roman  Catholic  and  go  to 
confession.  Such  is  the  apparent  happiness,  cheerfulness,  and 
unalloyed  beatitudes  of  the  nuns,  that  strangers  are  pleased 
with  them.  They  invariably  make  a  favorable  impression  on 
the  minds  of  their  visitors." 

Mr.  Hogan,  after  comparing  a  Roman  priest  to  the 
anaconda,  foul,  filthy,  and  ugly,  and  when  he  is  hungry 
seizes  upon  an  object  which  he  intends  to  destroy,  he 
takes  it  with  him  to  his  place  of  retreat,  and  there,  un- 
seen, covers  his  prey  with  slime,  and  then  devours  it. 
He  then  adds,  on  page  32  : 

"I  now  declare,  most  solemnly  and  sincerely,  that  after  liv- 
ing twenty-five  years  in  full  communion  with  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  officiating  as  a  Romish  priest,  hearing 
confessions,  and  confessing  myself,  I  know  not  another  reptile 
in  all  animal  nature  so  filthy,  so  much  to  be  shunned,  and 
loathed,  and  dreaded  by  females,  both  married  and  single,  as  a 
Roman  Catholic  priest,  or  bishop,  who  practices  the  degrading 
and  demoralizing  office  of  Auricular  Confession.'" 

Again,  Mr.  Hogan  refers  to  his  labors  in  Albany, 
New  York,  where  he  was  kindly  received  and  liberally 
compensated  for  his  labors  by  the  Church,  and  where  he 
was  also  Chaplain  of  the  Legislature,  and  gives  his  per- 
sonal experience  in  the  confessional  on  pages  46,  47,  as 
follows  : 

"The  Roman  Catholics  of  Albany  had,  during  about  two 
years  previous  to  my  arrival  among  them,  three  Irish  priests 
alternately  with  them,  occasionally  preaching,  but  always  hear- 
ing confessions.  I  know  the  names  of  these  men;  one  of  them 
is  dead,  the  other  two  living,  and  now  in  full  communion  in  the 
Roman  Church,  still  saying  mass  and  hearing  confessions.  As 
soon  as  I  got  settled  in  Albany,  I  had.  of  course,  to  attend  to 
the  duty  of  Auricular  Confession,  and  in  less  than  two  months 
found  that  those  three  priests,  during  the  time  they  were  there, 

9 


130  AUPJGULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

were  the  fathers  of  between  sixty  and  one  hundred  children, 
besides  having  debauched  many  who  had  left  the  place  previous 
to  their  confinement.  Man}'  of  these  children  were  by  married 
women,  who  were  among  the  most  zealous  supporters  of  those 
vagabond  priests,  and  whose  brothers  and  relatives  were  ready 
to  wade,  if  necessary,  knee  deep  in  blood  for  the  holy,  immacu- 
late, infallible  Church  of  Home.  There  is  a  circumstance  con- 
nected with  this,  that  renders  the  conduct  of  these  priests  almost 
frightfully  attrocious.  There  are  in  many  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic churches  things,  as  Michelet  properly  calls  them,  like  sen- 
try-boxes, called  confessionals.  These  are  generally  situated 
in  the  body  of  the  church,  and  priests  hear  confessions  in  them, 
though  the  priest  and  lady  penitent  are  only  separated  by  a 
sliding  board,  which  can  be  moved  in  any  direction  the  con- 
fessor pleaSes,  leaving  him  and  the  penitent  ear  to  ear,  breath 
to  breath,  eye  to  eye,  and  lip  to  lip,  if  he  pleases.  There  were 
none  of  these  in  the  Romish  church  of  Albany,  and  those  priests 
had  to  hear  confession  in  the  sacristy  of  the  church.  This  is  a 
email  room  back  of  the  altar,  in  which  the  eucharist,  contain- 
ing, according  to  the  Romish  belief,  the  real  body  and  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  kept  while  mass  is  not  celebrating  in  tho 
chapel.  This  room  is  always  fastened  by  a  lock  and  key  of  best 
workmanship,  and  the  key  kept  by  the  priest  day  and  night. 
This  sacristy,  containing  the  wafer  which  the  priests  blasphem- 
ously adore,  was  used  by  them  as  a  place  to  hear  confessions, 
and  here  they  committed  habitually  those  acts  of  immorality 
and  crime  of  which  I  have  spoken. 

"These  details  must  be  unpleasant  to  the  reader,  but  not 
more  so  than  they  are  to  me.  I  see  not,  however,  any  other 
mode  in  which  I  can  give  Americans  any  thing  like  a  correct 
idea  of  that  state  of  society  which  must  be  expected  in  this 
country,  should  the  period  ever  arrive  when  Popery  and  Popish 
priests  shall  be  in  the  ascendant/' 

These  disgusting  details  are  only  admissible  in  con- 
sideration of  the  fact  that  the  evil  exists  in  our  midst ; 
and  Protestants  are  unconscious  of  danger,  and  are 
thereby  jeoparding  their  morality,  virtue,  and  eternal 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  131 

salvation,  to  gratify  the  avarice  and  lust  of  those  who 
are  the  sworn  enemies  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and 
who  would  esteem  it  a  religious  duty,  if  in  their  power, 
to  consign  them  and  their  children  to  the  dungeon  or  the 
Inquisition. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  Curacciolo,  an  ex-Benedictine  nun, 
has  recently  published  an  octavo  volume,  of  nearly  five 
hundred  pages,  entitled,  "  The  Mysteries  of  Neapolitan 
Convents,"  with  an  Introduction  by  Rev.  John  Bowling, 
of  New  York.  It  fully  confirms  the  statement  of  others 
relative  to  the  corrupting  influence  of  the  confessional 
and  convent  life.  It  discloses  the  interesting  fact  that, 
about  the  year  1860,  the  Italian  Government  passed  a 
law  suppressing  convents  and  monastic  institutions,  and 
precluding  the  possibility  of  making  any  more  monks 
and  nuns  in  the  Kingdom  of  Italy.  Much  of  the  property 
of  monks  and  nuns  has  been  confiscated,  and  they  are 
allowed  a  daily  stipend  for  their  subsistence  during  life. 
When  these  die,  there  will  be  no  more  monasticism  in  what 
then  comprised  the  Kingdom  of  Italy.  It  is  said  that 
twelve  thousand  monks,  and  a  large  company  of  nuns, 
are  emigrating,  chiefly  to  South  America  and  the  South- 
ern States  of  North  America.  The  leprous  spots  of  Italy 
are  developing  themselves  on  the  sacred  soil  of  America. 
They  are  more  to  be  shunned  than  cholera,  palsy,  plague, 
and  fever.  They  rot  out  the  vitals  of  every  nation  per- 
manently infected  with  them. 

Mrs.  Edith  Auffray,  wife  of  Professor  Auffray,  is 
striking  damaging  blows  at  the  corruptions  of  Popery  by 


132  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

her  "Convent  Life  Exposed;"  also,  her  telling  lectures 
to  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  her  secret  lecture  to  ladies 
alone.  She  speaks  from  personal  experience,  having 
been  educated  in  the  convent  near  Madison,  New' Jersey, 
and  having  taken  the  veil  as  a  nun,  and  subsequently 
presided  as  lady  superior  over  the  convent  in  Hudson 
City,  New  York,  from  which  she  declares  she  fled  for 
her  virtue  and  her  life. 

Her  book  shows  that  her  confessor  exhausted  his  arts 
of  attempted  seduction,  while  she  in  vain  appealed  for 
protection  to  her  ecclesiastical  superiors.  She  is  proba- 
bly one  of  the  most  persecuted  women  on  the  Continent 
of  America. 

Mrs.  Auffray  is  better  known  by  her  maiden  name, 
"Edith  O'Gorman."  She  united  with  the  North  Baptist 
Church,  in  Jersey  City,  New  Jersey,  and  was  married  to 
Professor  Auffray  by  the  pastor  of  that  Church. 

Her  published  statements  and  (as  we  are  informed) 
her  private  lecture  to  ladies  corroborate  the  testimony 
of  others,  and  especially  the  secret  ritual  and  theology 
of  the  clergy.  The  united  testimony  of  canon  laws, 
catechisms,  manuals,  rituals,  the  theology  of  the  Church, 
the  history  of  individuals,  cities,  and  nations,  in  connection 
with  the  Bible,  combine  to  show  that  Auricular  Confession 
is  unscriptural,  unholy,  unreasonable,  and  an  unauthorized 
blasphemous  usurpation.  It  degrades  and  enslaves  the 
people,  subserves  the  sordid  interest  and  lust  of  ecclesi- 
astical tyrants,  destroys  domestic  happiness,  and  is  a 
blighting  curse  to  the  social,  civil,  and  religious  institu- 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  133 

tions  of  any  people,  city,  or  nation,  in  proportion  to  its 
unrestrained  influence.  Such  a  pestilential  evil  merits 
the  everlasting  execration  of  all  right-minded  persons, 
and  the  enactment  of  penal  laws  for  its  immediate  and 
perpetual  suppression. 


134  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL,  CONTINUED. 


character  of  men  and  systems  of  religion  may  be 
determined  by  their  influence  and  results.  The  great 
and  only  infallible  Teacher  said:  "By  their  fruits  ye 
shall  know  them."  This  test  applies  to  Romanism  with 
damaging  results.  After  a  careful  examination  of  the 
preceding  pages,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  comprehend 
the  fact  that  Romanism  rests  as  an  incubus  on  all  de- 
partments of  society,  and  that  crime  and  poverty  are  its 
natural  and  legitimate  results. 

The  judicial  statistics  of  Ireland  show  that  larger  num- 
bers of  the  constabulary  are  required,  in  proportion  to  the 
population,  in  Roman  Catholic  than  in  Protestant  coun- 
ties. The  police  statistics  are  from  the  census  of  1861. 
The  population  of  the  County  Antrim  is  247,564  ; 
the  population  of  Tipperary  is  about  the  same  number, 
249,106.  But  while  272  policemen  are  sufficient  to  pre- 
serve the  peace  in  Antrim,  1,122,  or  more  than  four 
times  the  number,  are  required  to  keep  the  peace  in 
Tipperary.  Nearly  the  same  disproportion  prevails  in 
other  counties.  Down  has  but  276  policemen,  while 
Gal  way,  with  a  smaller  population,  has  691.  Westmeath, 
with  a  population  of  90,879,  requires  298  constables, 


CORE  UPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  135 

while  Londonderry,  with  a  population  of  184,209,  has 
but  152.  Armagh  has  33,000  more  people  than  Ros- 
common,  but  while  the  northern  county  is  kept  in  order 
by  193  constables,  the  western*  county  requires  410. 
The  Belfast  News  Letter  justly  ascribes  this  difference  to 
RELIGION,  as  wherever  the  Roman  Catholics  predominate, 
there  the  police  force  is  large  and  costly;  but  in  every 
county  which  has  a  Protestant  majority  of  inhabitants, 
the  constabulary  force  is  small  and  has  little  to  do.  Even 
in  the  distinctively  Protestant  counties,  Roman  Catholic 
criminals  are  in  the  majority.  Thus,  while  Roman  Cath- 
olics are  less  than  one-third  of  the  population  of  the 
County  Antrim,  they  supply  a  larger  number  of  prisoners 
than  the  Protestant  two-thirds.  The  contrast  is  still 
greater  in  Londonderry  arid  Fermanagh.  The  Protest- 
ants of  Ireland  bear  to  Roman  Catholics  the  proportion 
of  13  to  45.  But  Protestant  prisoners  committed  in 
1863  bore  to  the  Roman  Catholics  the  proportion  of  G  to 
45,  the  total  number  being  4,391  Protestants,  against 
29,263  Roman  Catholics. 

The  expenses  of  Popery  to  the  country,  through  its 
immorality  and  crime,  has  been  used  as  an  argument  with 
such  telling  effect  against  the  policy  of  Popish  endow- 
ments, that  the  demagogues  among  the  P.ipists  have  been 
obliged  to  resort  to  measures  the  most  ignoble  to  blunt 
its  force.  They  have,  by  their  representatives  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  reported  crimes  against  the  Protest- 
ants which  were  never  committed  ;  and  they  have  per- 
petrated crimes  against  themselves,  in  order  to  charge 


136 


AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


them  upon  their  heretic  neighbors.  Galway,  from  1851 
to  1861,  rose,  through  the  operations  of  Protestant  mis- 
sions, from  the  twenty-fourth  to  the  seventh  place  in 
the  scale  of  morality.  Down  sank,  through  Jesuitical 
intrigues,  from  the  first  to  the  fifth  place — convictions  for 
crime  being  the  basis. 

THE  CRUELTY  OF  ROMANISM. 


1  Protestant  and  13  Popish  Countries. 

Population. 

Average 
Murders  in 
a  Year. 

Yearly 
murders  in 
one  mill'u. 

England  and  Wales  

17  927  609 

72 

4 

Belgium  

4  347  673 

84 

19 

Ireland,  1851  

6  533  579 

130 

19 

Sardinia  

4916081 

101 

24 

France  

35  400  486 

1089 

30 

Austria  

36514466 

1325 

36 

Lo  m  bardy  

5  047  472 

225 

44 

Tuscany  

1  489  000 

84 

56 

Ba  va  ri  a  

4  5^0  751 

311 

68 

Malta  

lu'ooo 

114 

80 

Sicily  

1  936  033 

174 

90 

Pa  na  1  States  

2  908  115 

339 

113 

Naples  

6  066  900 

1045 

172 

Spain 

I9  386  841 

950 

THE  IMMORALITY  OF  ROMANISM. 


1  Protestant  and  10  Romish  Towns. 

Legitimate 
Births. 

IllegHim. 
Births. 

Illegitim. 
B'lhs  to  100 
Legit.  Bs. 

London    1851  

76,097 

3,203 

4 

Paris    1851  

21,698 

10,685 

49 

Peripiirnan   1845... 

512 

256 

50 

1    o 

Brussels   1850  

3,448 

1,835 

53 

Tours.  1845  

582 

330 

56 

Munich,  1845  

1,726 

1,702 

98 

Kodez   1845  

233 

243 

104 

G  euret  1  845  

97 

115 

108 

Vienna   1849  

8,881 

10,360 

116 

Mont  de  Alarsan   1845  

74 

173 

179 

Rome  1845  

1,213 

3,160 

260 

CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  137 

The  above  startling  facts  are  corroborated  by  addi- 
tional figures  from  both  continents.  The  official  annual 
report  of  the  Commissioners  for  Relieving  the  Poor  in 
Ireland  show  that,  on  the  23d  of  March,  1867,  the  num- 
ber of  paupers  was  59,141,  and  2,659  in  excess  of  the 
number  of  the  same  week  of  1866.  The  number  of  or- 
phans and  deserted  children  out  at  nurse  in  January, 
1866,  was  475;  and  1867,  at  the  same  date,  was  590. 

The  Rev.  W.  C.  Van  Meter,  a  clergyman  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  now  missionary  in  Rome,  was  there  on  a 
tour  in  1868,  and,  in  his  correspondence  to  America, 
wrote  as  follows : 

"KoME,  ITALY,  May  20,  1868. 

"Another  weary  day  has  ended,  and  I  sit  and  review  with  a 
sad  heart  the  dungeons  and  cells,  etc.,  visited  to-day.  The 
very  site  of  the  inquisition  makes  the  heart  sick,  by  recalling 
the  scenes  of  wickedness  and  indescribable  cruelty  witnessed 
and  endured  in  this  place.  The  political  prisons  are  closed 
usually  against  all,  except  the  one  who  unsuccessfully  struggled 
for  freedom,  and  his  tormentors.  The  histories  in  it  \yill  not 
be  revealed — except  now  and  then  a  brief  extract — until  '  the 

boo-ks  are  opened.'  I  have  conversed  with  Count ,  who 

was  a  judge  sixteen  years,  but  who  arose  with  Garibaldi  to 
free  Italy,  was  captured  by  the  Austrians,  sent  to  one  of  those 
hells  used  by  the  Pope,  and  there  endured  long,  sad  years  of 
cruelty  aird  want,  until,  before  the  French  troops  were  with- 
drawn, he  Avas  liberated.  He  made  a  pen  out  of  a  nail,  and 
by  some  means  obtained  ink,  and  kept  his  journal  by  writing 
on  his  white  shirt.  I  saw  it.  It  is  written  .-ill  over  with  the 
sickening  history  of  those  years.  Permission  to  visit  the 
prisons  was  refused  me,  except  in  a  single  and  unimportant 
case;  but  I  did  enter  and  examine  them.  How  I  obtained  ad- 
mission must  not  be  told  in  this. 

"  The  Reformatory  for  Boys  is  a  miserable  affair.  The 
Foundling  Hospital,  for  illegitimate  babes,  is  a  grand  affair. 


138  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

The  Superior  told  me  they  have  at  present  about  four  thousand, 
with  two  thousand  nurses.  Most  of  them  are  scattered  among 
families.  I  saw  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  of  them, 
and  apparently  well  cared  for.  The  child  is  placed  at  night  in 
a  box  in  the  wall,  and  then  turned  into  the  reception-room — a 
bell  rings,  the  nurse  comes,  and  that  is  all  that  is  known.  I 
was  told  that  every  fourth  child  in  Rome  is  a  child  of  shame; 
for  these  priests  and  nuns,  in  order  to  induce  the  people  to 
take  care  of  them,  call  the  child  'Figlia  della  Madonna' — that 
is,  Child  of  the  Virgin.  Thus  they  cover  the  Virgin  with 
shame,  rather  than  with  honor.  They  worship  her;  sind  then, 
as  our  Savior  was  born  of  her,  so  they  call  all  the  children  not 
born  in  lawful  wedlock  her  children.  Bad  as  Rome  is,  I  was 
not  prepared  for  any  thing  so  shocking. 

"How  I  long  to  visit  our  principal  cities,  and  tell  them  of 
what  I  see  here,  and  try  and  stir  up  the  people,  and  put 
them  on  their  guard  against  the  things  that  crush  these  people 
and  threaten  to  overwhelm  us." 

Thus  writes  an  American  clergyman,  when  surrounded 
by  the  crime  of  Papal  Rome. 

Facts  may  be  found  nearer  home. 

Montreal,  Canada,  is  a  stronghold  of  Popery;  -and  a 
telegram  of  June  4,  1868-,  discloses  the  following  shock- 
ing facts : 

"The  report  of  the  General  Foundling  Hospital  of  this  city 
shows  a  shocking  state  of  things.  The  number  of  children  re- 
ceived during  the  last  year  was  six  hundred  and  fifty-two,  and 
the  number  of  deaths  six  hundred  and  nineteen.  Of  the  deaths, 
thirty-six  were  under  a  week  ;  three  hundred  and  sixty  eight 
under  a  month  ;  five  hundred  and  eight}'  three  under  one  year; 
six  hundred  and  seventeen  under  five  years, — leaving  only  two 
deaths  among  all  the  foundlings  in  the  establishment  between 
the  ages  of  five  and  twelve.  The  report  further  shows  that 
four  hundred  and  twenty-four  infants  were  received  only  half- 
clothed  ;  eight  were  absolutelj*  naked;  eighteen  had  not  even 
been  washed,  and  fifteen  were  bleeding  for  want  of  the  neces- 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  139 

sary  attentions  at  birth  ;  forty-six  were  tainted  with  the  special 
disease  of  infamy ;  eight  had  been  wounded  by  instruments; 
seven  were  more  or  less  frozen,  and  a  large  number  covered 
with  vermin.  One  was  sent  from  the  United  States  in  a  carpet- 
bag ;  another  at  the  bottom  of  a  basket;  another  in  a  water- 
bucket;  two  came  squeezed  and  bruised;  another  strongly 
nailed  up  in  a  box;  another  with  a  pin  stuck  through  the  flesh. 
The  sufferings  of  eight  infants,  as  well  as  their  chance  of  life, 
had  been  lessened  by  doses  of  opium.  It  is  no  wonder,  there- 
fore, that  three  were  dead  when  received,  twenty-eight  dying, 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  in  actual  disease.  Most  of  the 
remainder  perished  through  the  wretched  constitution  inflicted 
on  them  by  their  parents." 

This  institution  ,is  in  charge  of  the  Gray  Nuns,  find 
the  report  was  made  by  Drs.  Laroque  and  Carpenter,  of 
the  Sanitary  Association,  and  may  be  accepted  as  au- 
thentic and  true. 

Already  American  soil  is  polluted  with  these  plague- 
spots,  which  offer  incentives  to  vice,  by  furnishing  facil- 
ities by  which  to  screen  the  perpetrators.  New  York, 
Brooklyn,  and  Chicago  can  each  boast  of  a  foundling 
institution,  and  Protestants  are  being  taxed  to  sustain 
them.  The  unrestrained  influence  of  Auricular  Confes- 
sion, in  connection  with  professed  sacerdotal  celibacy, 
convents,  and  monasteries,  may  soon  create  a  necessity 
for  them  in  all  large  American  cities. 

Through  these  institutions  an  immense  number  find 
early  graves;  and,  of  those  who  survive,  without  excep- 
tion, they  are  trained  as  Papists,  and  state  appropriations 
asked  for  their  subsistence. 

One  illustration  may  suffice.  The  Legislature  of  New 
York  granted  a  charter  to  a  company  of  Romanists  in 


140  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

New  York,  in  1869,  and  in  1872  they  made  their  Second 
Annual  Report,  which  we  have  on  file,  in  all  its  disgusting 
details.;  but  which  can  not  be  here  inserted.  One  or  two 
facts  nmy  illustrate  its  contents.  It  shows  that,  during 
the  preceding  year,  more  than  seven  hundred  foundlings 
died  under  its  care,  and  more  than  nine  hundred,  then 
living,  were  sustained  by  the  city  at  the  rate  of  eight 
dollars  each,  and  four  dollars  each  additional  by  dona- 
tions and  contributions,  making  a  total  of  twelve  dollars 
each  for  more  than  nine  hundred  foundlings;  or  not  less 
than  $10,000  to  sustain  the  institution  the  second  year 
of  its  existence. 

If  such  institutions  are  permitted  to  multiply,  what 
will  soon  be  the  condition  of  our  country  ?  Are  vir- 
tuous Protestant  men  and  women  willing  to  be  taxed 
to  encourage  licentiousness,  and  furnish  female  Jesuits 
facilities  to  perpetuate  a  system  of  corruption  in  our 
midst? 

The  police  reports  of  Chicago  for  a  period  of  four 
years,  from  1866  to  1870,  present  the  fact  that,  when 
the  population  of  the  city  did  .  not  probably  number 
more  than  two  hundred  thousand,  the  police  arrested, 
during  that  period,  more  than  eighty-eight  thousand 
criminals. 

In  the  year  1868,  the  police  of  Chicago  arrested 
twenty-two  thousand  and  forty-three  criminals,  and  the 
following  table  exhibits  their  nationalities.  The  figures 
show  that  twenty-one  different  nationalities  were  repre- 
sented in  the  criminal  department,  and  that  eleven 


CORRUPTION  OF  THE  CONFESSIONAL.  141 

thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five  of  them  were 
Irish,  and  that  more  than  four-fifths  of  them  were 
foreigners : 

NATIONALITIES. 

Americans 3,084     Indians 2 

Africans 787     Italians 75 

Bohemians 149     Mexicans 2 

Belgians 10     Norwegians 395 

Canadians, 150     Polanders 2 

Danes 25     Scotch 285 

English 565     Swedes v       208 

French 229     Spaniards 3 

Germans 3,096     Swiss 2 

Hungarians 8     Welsh 16 

Irish 11,825  . 

Total 22,043 

Protestant  Irish,  Germans,  and  other  nationalities, 
are  noted  for  honest  thrift  and  industry,  and  it  is  a  noto- 
rious fact,  shown  by  the  records  of  crime  and  poverty  in 
all  the  Northern  cities,  that  the  Roman  Church  furnishes 
an  overwhelming  majority  of  the  criminals  and  paupers, 
for  which  the  whole  country  is  taxed.  It  also  furnishes 
a  very  large  proportion  of  the  whisky  sellers  and  drink- 
ers. Romanists  are  men  of  like  passions  with  our- 
selves, and  if  it  were  not  for  the  corrupting  theology  of 
the  Church,  and  the  despotism  and  corrupting  influence 
of  the  priests  through  the  confessional  they  might  soon 
rise  to  a  more  exalted  position,  intellectually  and  morally. 
We  have  startling  facts  which  are  reserved  for  a  subse- 
quent work. 

Northern  cities  are  cursed  with  Popery.  Life  and 
property  are  insecure,  and  political  corruption  is  unparal- 
leled, and  the  pillars  of  the  nation  tumble  under  its 


142  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

accumulating  weight.  It  is  clearly  the  result  of  putting 
corrupt  men  into  power  by  a  bargain  and  sale  with  the 
victims  of  Popery.  Now  the  flood-tide  is  being  turned 
into  the  South.  The  licentious  monks,  nuns,  and  Jesuits 
of  Italy,  whose  property  has  been  confiscated  on  account 
of  their  corrupting  influence,  are  drifting  into  South 
America  and  into  the  Southern  States  of  North  America. 
And  if  this  influence  is  not  arrested,  they  will  be  to  the 
South  the  beginning  of  sorrow. 

Could  we  speak  to  be  heard  by  every  true  patriot, 
philanthropist,  and  Christian  in  America,  we  would  say, 
first  and  last,  As  you  value  your  country,  your  liberty, 
your  life,  and  property,  and  as  you  value  the  happiness 
of  posterity,  beware  of  the  priests,  monks,  nuns,  and 
Jesuits,  male  and  female,  beware  of  convents  and  the 
confessional ! 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  A  THIEF-TRAP.  143 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  CONFESSIONAL  A  THIEF-TRAP. 

TTNABLE  to  defend  Auricular  Confession  by  Scripture 
^  and  reason,  Romanists  have  recommended  it  as  a 
valuable  thief-trap,  or  instrument  for  the  restoration  of 
stolen  property. 

EXAMPLE   NO.  1. 

"A  case  of  conscience  happened  in  St.  Louis,  which,  though 
common  enough,  is  always  remarkable.  A  gentleman  living 
in  that  city  had  a  diamond  necUlace  stolen  from  him  some 
time  since,  which  was  valued  at  three  thousand  dollars,  and  all 
the  ingenuity  of  the  police  had  failed  to  ferret  out  the  culprit. 
The  gentleman  received  it  lately,  in  perfect  order,  through  the 
hands  of  a  Catholic  priest,  with  whom  it  had  been  left,  in  the 
confessional.  Thus,  in  spite  of  what  Protestants  say,  confession 
is  not  a  hare  form  in  our  Church.  The  revelations  made  at 
the  knee  of  the  priest  have  often  saved  nations  as  well  as 
necklaces."  (Boston  Pilot,  of  December  19,  1863.) 

This  case  of  conscience  is  reported  on  Roman  Cath- 
olic authority,  and  the  author  admits  that  it  is  not  an 
isolated  case;  that  such  cases  are  "common  enough." 
As  to  the  stealing  part  of  this  case,  few  will  doubt  that 
it  is  "common  enough;"  but  as  to  restitution,  it  "is  al- 
ways remarkable" — so  remarkable  that  the  priest  pub- 
lishes it  to  the  world.  Nobody  doubts  that  many  Cath- 
olics steal,  when  thousands  of  them  are  annually  con- 
victed of  theft  by  the  civil  authority;  but  the  question 


144  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

is,  What  becomes  of  the  stolen  property?  Not  one  case 
in  a  thousand  has  restitution  to  the  injured  person  been 
reported. 

One  of  two  things  must  be  true,  either : 

1.  The  priest  was  wrong  in  granting  absolution  when 
the  penitent  did  not  make  restitution ;  or, 

2.  The  priest  was  wrong  in  retaining  the  stolen  prop- 
erty after  restitution  was  made  to  him. 

EXAMPLE   NO.  2. 

A  few  years  since,  the  Eev.  N.  L.  Eice,  D.  D.,  while  residing 
in  St.  Louis,  lost  his  silver  spoons.  Some  time  afterward  a  por- 
tion of  them  were  returned  through  the  confessional,  and  the 
Catholic  paper  of  that  city  announced  the  "remarkable"  fact 
with  the  usual  flourish  of  trumpets..  Dr.  Eice  also  acknowl- 
edged the  receipt  of  a  portion  of  his  spoons;  but  stated  that  all 
his  spoons  had  not  been  returned,  and  modestly  suggested  that 
the  priest  did  wrong  in  absolving  the  thief  when  full  restitution 
was  not  made,  or  he  did  wrong  in  retaining  the  spoons  after 
full  restitution  had  been  made  to  him. 

Here  are  two  "remarkable"  cases  of  restitution.  If 
the  Catholic  editors  will  refer  to  the  records  of  the  police 
and  criminal  courts  in  St.  Louis,  they  may  find  a  few 
thousand  more  remarkable  cases  of  Romish  theft,  where 
restitution  was  not  made,  and  where  the  stolen  property, 
like  the  doctor's  spoons,  and  Milly  M'Pherson  (the  lost 
nun),  disappeared,  to  be  seen  no  more.  According  to 
Romish  theology,  all  Catholics  are  obliged  to  confess  all 
their  mortal  sins  to  the  priest  once  each  year.  If  they 
do  not  confess  all,  their  confession  is  "void."  If  they 
do  confess  all  (in  case  of  theft),  the  priest  intentionally 
permits  them  to  retain  the  stolen  property,  or  he  inten- 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  A  THIEF-TRAP.  145 

tionally  keeps  it  himself;  and,  in  either  case,  he  justifies 
the  theft. 

What  right  have  priests,  more  than  other  men,  to 
conceal  stolen  property?  By  what  right  do  they  retire 
into  dark  corners  and  confession-boxes,  and  hold  confi- 
dential correspondence  with  thieves  ? 

But  we  are  told  that  "the  revelations  made  at  the 
knee  of  the  priest  have  often  saved  nations  as  well  as 
necklaces."  Did  the  Jesuit  priest.  Garnet,  attempt  to 
prevent  the  gunpoivdcr  plot,  to  which  he  was  accessary 
through  the  confessional?  No.  Did  Auriculur  Confes- 
sion save  the  life  of  Henry  IV,  in  1610,  when  the  plan 
of  his  murder  was  known  in  the  confessional?  No.  Did 
it  prevent  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Day  in 
Paris?  No.  Did  it  oppose  the  Inquisition  in  Spain? 
No;  never.  It  was  the  right-arm  of  power  to  the  Inqui- 
sition, as  it  ever  has  been  to  Papal  Rome  and  despotic 
governments.  Where  has  the  Roman  confessional  ever 
saved  a  Protestant  nation?  Where  has  it  ever  saved 
the  life  of  a  Protestant  sovereign?  History  records  no 
such  facts. 

But,  for  the  sake  of  an  illustration,  suppose  we  grant 
that  the  confession-box  is  a  thief-trap,  or  "den  of  thieves ;" 
that  would  not  prove  its  utility;  It  only  catches  Cath- 
olic thieves,  and  history  and  facts  prove  that  it  makes 
more  thieves  than  it  catches. 

When  we  were  in  public  discussion  with  Priest 
Cogan,  of  Oskaloosa.  Iowa,  four  years  since,  he  endeav- 
ored to  avoid  a  fair  Issue  on  Auricular  Confesson,  and 

10 


146  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

divert  attention  from  the  theology  of  his  Church,  in  the 
following  manner: 

In  the  midst  of  his  speech,  he  seated  himself  on  a 

* 

chair  on  the  platform,  with  his  fnce  to  the  congregation 
and  the  back  of  the  chair  at  his  side,  and  said,  in  sub- 
stance:  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  will  now  give  you  a 
specimen  of  Auricular  Confession.  I  am  a  priest,  nnd  a 
priest  was  never  known  to  reveal  nny  thing  from  the 
confessional.  And  it  is  understood,  of  course,  that  there 
is  always  a  screen  between  the  priest  and  the  penitent. 
We  will  suppose  your  servant-girl  should  come  to  the 
confessional,  and  I  ask  her  if  she  has  done  any  thing 
wrong.  She  says,  Yes;  I  took  a  loaf  of  bread.  I  ask 
her  how  much  it  -was  worth.  She  says,  so  much.  I 
ask  if  she  did  any  thing  else  wrong.  She  s.-iys,  Yes;  I 
took  more  than  one  loaf.  I  ask  how  many.  She  do  n't 
know.  I  ask  about  how  long  she  continued  to  take  a 
loaf  each  day.  She  says,  About  three  months.  I  ask 
if  she  has  done  any  thing  else  wrong.  She  says  she 
took  half  a  pound  of  butter  each  day,  for  three  months. 
I  ask  if  she  did  any  thing  else  wrong.  She  says  she 
took  a  ham  of  meat,  worth  so  much. 

Thus  he  endeavored  to  show  that  the  confessional 
was  a  wonderful  thief-trap. 

In  our  reply,  we  frankly  admitted  that  observation, 
and  the  bitter  experience  of  many  Protestants,  could 
attest  the  fact  that  many  of  the  most  devout  patrons  of 
the  confessional  were  expert  thieves ;  and  the  more  they 
confessed,  the  more  they  seemed  disposed  to  steal.  And 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  A  THIEF-TRAP.  147 

one  thing  was  certain,  they  were  not  accustomed  to 
make  restitution  to  Protestants.  We  pressed  the  ques- 
tion, to  know  what  disposition  was  made  of  the  stolen 
property:  whether  the  priest,  knowing  the  facts,  sanc- 
tioned the  theft  by  granting  the  thief  absolution  and 
permitting  her  to  keep  the  stolen  property,  or  whether 
they  divided  the  spoils. 

We  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  criminal  and  police 
courts  and  prisons  show  that  a  large  majority  of  the 
thieves  frequented  the  confessional;  and,  while  the  con- 
fessional caught  thieves,  it  only  caught  Roman  thieves; 
and  that  it  made  more  than  it  caught.  That  when  resti- 
tution was  not  made  to  the  original  owner  the  priest 
ought  to  be  held  as  particeps  criminis. 

•  Father  Cogan  failed  to  account  for  the  stolen  prop- 
erty; but,  in  the  midst  of  his  next  half-hour's  speech, 
proclaimed  that  he  was  very  sick,  and  would  not  debate 
further  at  present,  but  would  return  next  week  and  an- 
swer my  lectures.  It  was  evident  that  his  sickness  was 
only  temporary,  and  not  unto  death,  as  he  expected  to 
be  well  next  week. 

On  the  next  morning,  we  rode  in  the  omnibus  to  the 
depot  with  Father  Cogan,  and  he  seemed  so  well  that  we 
congratulated  him  on  his  early  restoration  to  health,  and 
suggested  that  his  recent  affliction  was  only  an  attack  of 
billious  cholic  from  an  overdose  of  Latin  theology.  • 

This  thief-trap  should  receive  due  attention.  Doubt- 
less, millions  of  property  is  annually  stolen  from  Protes- 
tants, for  which  restitution  is  not  made. 


148  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

The  confessional  did  not  save  the  late  President  of 
the  United  States  from  assassination.  It  is  a  fact  of 
history,  that  the  conspiracy  was  formed  at  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Surratt,  a  confessing  Romanist;  that  each  of  the 
conspirators  first  arrested  were  Romanists;  that  John 
Surratt,  who  fled  to  Italy  and  went  into  the  Pope's 
army,  was  a  Papist. 

These  facts  should  not  be  forgotten;  and  if  justice 
were  done,  the  confessors  of  these  assassins  would  be 
held  to  an  account  for  complicity  in  that  conspiracy. 
They  doubtless,  like  Priest  Garnett,  felt  bound  to  conceal 
the  facts,  on  account  of  their  obligation  of  secrecy. 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  ENSLAVES  MEN.  149 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  CONFESSIONAL  ENSLAVES  MEN. 

T)OPERY  and  despotism  mutually  sustain  each  other. 

The  Government  of  the  Romish  Church  is  intensely 
monarchical.  The  priest  sits  as  judge  "in  the  court  of 
conscience,"  and  the  faithful  Papist,  in  a  confessional,  is 
arraigned  as  a  criminal  at  his  bar.  By  his  Church  he  is 
taught  to  reverence  the  priest  as  the  representative  of 
God,  clothed  with  plenary  power  to  bind  or  to  loose  at 
pleasure,  to  forgive  all  his  sins  or  Consign  him  to  hell 
forever. 

The  fear  of  the  priest  is  ever  before  the  eyes  of  the 
true  Romanist.  The  will  of  the  priest  is  his  will,  the 
•word  of  the  priest  is  his  latv,  and  obedience  to  the  priest 
his  paramount  duty.  And  the  true  Romanist  would 
sooner  offend  Almighty  God  than  incur  the  displeasure 
of  his  parish  priest.  The  man  who  bows  his  neck  to  the 
yoke  of  Auricular  Confession  is  a  slave  the  most  abject. 
His  spirit  is  crushed  and  broken ;  he  no  longer  stands 
erect  as  a  free  man.  The  bondman  of  Egypt,  under  the 
lash  of  Pharaoh's  taskmaster  was  a  free  man  when  com- 
pared with  him.  He  breathes  the  air  of  liberty,  treads 
the  soil  of  freedom,  and  yet  voluntarily  surrenders  his 
civil  and  religious  liberty  at  the  will  and  pleasure  of  a 


150  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Popish  priest.  Shame  on  an  American  citizen  who  will 
submit  to  such  servile  degradation.  The  priest  nuiy 
compel  him  to  fast  to-day  and  feast  to-morrow,  or  he  may 
permit  him  to  gulp  down  "-rot —  whisky"  small  potatoes, 
and  sour  Icrout  to-day,  and  require  him  to  eat  fish,  eggs, 
and  butter  to-morrotv.  The  priest  may  permit  him  to  lie, 
cheat,  steal,  murder,  and  bre.ak  every  commandment  in 
the  Decalogue,  and  live  in  communion  with  the  Church, 
provided  he  goes  to  confession  once  each  year,  and  once 
each  year  eats  whole  and  entire  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
"His  body,  his  soul,  his  blood,  and  divinity" 

The  priest  may  enter  the  domestic  circle  and  dictate 
to  a  family  of  Romanists  from  parlor  to  kitchen,  from  the 
head  of  the  family  to  the  chamber-maid,  and  his  will  is 
supreme  law,  which  they  dare  not  violate.  He  may,  and 
often  does^  attempt  to  separate  husband  and  wife,  who 
were  lawfully  married  (by  a  Protestant  minister  or  a 
civil  magistrate)  by  pronouncing  their  marriage  "null and 
void,  illicit  and  criminal" 

He  may,  through  the  confessional,  under  false  pre- 
tense, extort  from  widows  and  orphans  large  sums  of 
money,  or  literally  "rob  widows  houses,  and  for  a  pretense 
make  long  prayers" 

If  the  priest  imposes  penance,  the  faithful  Romanist 
must  perform  it,  or  otherwise  incur  the  liability  to  be 
sentenced  to  endless  punishment.  If  a  Catholic  comes 
into  a  Protestant  church  with  the  intention  to  hear  and 
investigate  the  truth  for  himself,  or  if  he  reads  a  Protest- 
ant Bible,  he  commits  a  mortal  sin  which,  if  not  con- 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  ENSLAVES  MEN.  151 

fessed  to  the  priest,  and  by  him  pardoned,  will  insure  to 
the  unfortunate  subject  the  pains  of  eternal  death.  If 
such  an  offense  against  the  Church  was  committed  in  a 
Papal  country,  where  the  power  of  the  priesthood  is  un- 
restrained, the  unfortunate  subject  might  anticipate  severe 
punishment,  if  not  imprisonment  and  death.  If  the 
parish  priest  should  make  it  a  matter  of  conscience  that 
his  flock  vote  for  or  against  a  political  candidate,  not  one 
would  dare  incur  his  hot  displeasure  by  voting  otherwise. 
All  priests  and  bishops  are  under  the  dictation  of  the 
Pope  of  Rome,  and  all  orthodox  Catholics  acknowledge 
their  allegiance  to  him  is  paramount  to  every  other 
obligation.  The  confessional  is  the  secret  sustaining  and 
propelling  power  of  this  huge  despotism. 

Over  the  door  of  each  confessional  might  be  appro- 
priately inscribed  : 

"  O  let  my  strong  unerring  hand 

Assume  thy  bolts  to  throw, 
And  deal  damnation  round  the  land 
On  each  I  judge  my  foe." 

With  all  our  boasts  of  American  independence,  this 
country  abounds  with  slaves  most  abject,  and  made  so 
through  the  Romish  confessional.  Through  the  confes- 
sional the  clergy  enforce  on  the  laity  the  observance  of 
the  intolerant  dogma  and  ritual  of  the  Church,  and  the 
autocratic  dictum  of  ecclesiastical  superiors.  They  claim 
the  power  to  assess  at  discretion  the  laity  for  Church 
purposes.  The  Fifth  Commandment  of  the  Church 
makes  it  imperative  on  all  to  pay  the  priest,  and  a  viola- 


152  A  URIC  ULA  R  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

tion  of  this  precept  is  a  mortal  sin,  which  exposes  the 
sinner  to  eternal  death,  and  the  priest  claims  the  power 
to  enforce  the  penalty.  Under  this  general  system  of 
clerical  finance,  the  clergy  have  a  source  of  immense 
revenue  and  many  perquisites,  among  which  m;iy  be 
enumerated  pew  rent,  pay  for  masses,  both  for  the  living 
and  the  dead  ;  fees  for  baptism  for  adults,  infants,  and 
foetal  abortions ;  funerals,  marriages,  and  indulgences, 
etc., -all  of  which  are  attended  with  financial  considera- 
tions, and  the  priest  has  the  power  to  enforce  collections. 
When  a  Church  enterprise  is  projected,  the  priest  has  the 
right  to  assess  the  laity,  and  under  ecclesiastical  penalty 
enforce  collections.  And  here  let  it  be  understood,  that 
ecclesiastical  penalty  in  the  Church  of  Rome  involves  a 
financial  consideration.  The  person  publicly  denounced 
is  persecuted  and  proscribed,  and  his  only  condition  of 
reconciliation  and  absolution  is  implicit  submission  to  his 
ecclesiastical  superior.  So  that  the  Roman  clergy  not 
only  profess  to  hold  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
but  by  virtue  of  this  assumption  they  really  hold  a  death 
grasp  on  the  purse  or  pocket-book  of  every  member  of 
the  Church. 

Through  this  means  they  often  regulate  the  wages  of 
the  laboring  classes,  infusing  a  spirit  of  discontent,  and 
thereby  promoting  if  not  directly  instigating  the  mobo- 
cratic  spirit  which  so  often  developes  itself  in  popular 
tumults  and  bloodshed,  mildly  denominated  " strikes'* 

When  railroads  are  being  constructed,  priests  aire 
•detailed  to  collect  the  monthly  dues  from  the  Roman 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  ENSLAVES  MEN.  153 

laborers,  and  when  not  promptly  paid,  we  have  knowledge 
of  numerous  instances  where  the  priest  has  demanded 
and  received  it  from  the  paymaster  of  the  road. 

The  wages  of  servant  girls  are  often  regulated 
through  the  confessional.  This  may  account  for  the  fact 
that  when  the  wages  of  one  is  raised  in  a  city  or  place, 
the  wages  of  all  others  are  raised  simultaneously,*  and  the 
extra  amount  usually  appropriated  for  some  enterprise  of 
the  Roman  Church.  Thus,  through  the  confessional,  a  tax 
is  assessed  on  Protestants  to  sustain  Popery,  and  collected 
from  them  by  their  hired  servants,  and  there  are  living 
witnesses  to  these  facts.  This  system  of  clerical  espion- 
age extends  to  every  department  of  business  and  society. 

Romanists  may  not  lawfully  marry  except  under 
clerical  dictation,  and  their  subsequent  domestic  inter- 
course as  husband  and  wife  must  be  regulated  in  the 
most  minute  details,  according  to  the  prescribed  rules  of 
their  moral  theology,  and  the  priests  in  the  confessional 
are  required  to  exact  detailed  statements  from  wives 
relative  to  their  strict  conformity  to  ritual  and  theology 
in  these  matters.  The  most  indelicate  and  disgusting 
questions  not  only  may,  but  absolutely  must,  be  an- 
swered. Considerations  of  modesty  are  not  to  be  taken 
into  the  account. 

Political  matters  are  also  subject  to  the  same  espion- 
age and  intolerant  dogmatic  dictation.  The  Roman  clergy 
are  seldom  seen  in  mass  meetings,  or  at  the  ballot-box  j 
but  their  influence  is  felt  there.  Many  of  them  never 
vote,  and  it  is  well  that  they  do  not.  They  are  the  sub- 


154  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

jects  of  a  foreign  despot  to  whom  they  have  sworn  stir 
perior  allegiance,  whose  will  is  law,  whose  displeasure  is 
perdition,  and  to  whom  they  are  indebted  for  their  loaves 
and  fishes.  They  have  in  their  respective  congregations 
fugle-men  who  can  better  subserve  their  interests,  and 
who  are  ever  present  in  political  meetings  to  manipulate 
according  to  the  wishes  of  their  clerical  dictators.  To 
facilitate  this  Avork,  numerous  secret  societies,  under  vari- 
ous pretenses,  are  organized,  under  the  direct  supervision 
of  the  Roman  clergy,  and  often  with  the  clergy  officially 
at  their  head.  Among  these  organizations  are  the 
Jesuits,  Fenians,  Hibernians,  St.  Patricks,  Knights  of 
St.  Patrick,  Father  Matthew,  and  Father  Burke  societies, 
and  others,  too  numerous  to  mention.  Above  all  these, 
the  so-called  "Catholic  Union"  which  is  the  consolidation 
of  these  treasonable  political  secret  organizations.  This 

* 

last  named  organization  is  the  focal  point  around  which 
are  being  concentrated  the  energies  of  the  Roman  clergy, 
and  through  which,  aided  by  infidelity  and  the  liquor 
influence,  they  hope  to  foist  into  position  and  power  cor- 
rupt men  who  will  subserve  their  sordid  interests,  and 
through  whose  legislation  they  expect  to  suppress  the 
freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press,  degrade  free  schools, 
and  thereby  secure  State  funds  for  their  sectarian  paro- 
chial schools,  and  compel  Protestants  to  contribute  to 
support  their  driveling  nonsense,  and  antiquated,  dis- 
gusting mummery.  Not  unfrequently,  in  consideration 
of  this  consolidated  Roman  vote,  pledges  are  exacted 
from  unscrupulous  demagogues  before  elections,  that  in 


THE  CONFESSIONAL  ENSLAVES  MEN.  155 

their  legislation,  or  in  their  official  appointments  they 
will  subserve  the  interests  of  the  Papacy.  Thus,  through 
the  insidious  influence  of  the  confessional,  virtue  is  pros- 
trated, life  and  property  jeopardized,  civil  and  religious 
liberty  threatened  with  destruction,  and  all  to  subserve 
the  interests  of  Popery,  whose  native  element  is  despot- 
ism, whose  history  is  tarnished  with  innocent  blood,  and 
whose  consecrated  aggressive  weapons  are  racks,  gibbets, 
fagots,  dungeons,  inquisitions,  and  infuriated  mobs  ?  We 
appeal  to  the  sons  of  revolutionary  sires.  Shall  Amer- 
ican free  men  yield  their  blood-bought,  heaven-blessed 
institutions  to  the  insidious  intrigue  and  eternal  hatred 
of  a  treason-working  Roman  hierarchy  ?  NO !  Let  the 
emphatic  response  of  holy  indignation  burst  from  the 
hearts  of  free  men.  NO  !  Let  life,  property,  and  sacred 
honor  be  pledged  ;  let  American  patriots  arise  and  man 
their  posts,  panoplied  with  the  weapons  of  justice,  vigil- 
ance, and  eternal  truth;  disseminate  intelligence,  protect 
the  Sabbath,  distribute  the  Bible,  and  by  all  laudable 
and  peaceable  means  maintain  evangelical  piety,  and 
thus  repel  the  invaders,  defend  their  institutions,  and 
protect  their  liberties.  And  if  the  pall  of  Papal  night 
begins  to  enshroud  them,  a  foreign  despot  grasps  at  the 
reins  of  their  Government,  and  Papal  dupes,  in  fiendish 
triumph,  proclaim  the  funeral  knell  of  their  liberties, 
then  let  American  steel,  wielded  by  freedom's  potent 
arm,  rend  the  Papal  gloom,  and  the  pure  blood  of  free 
men  wash  the  foul  stain  from  the  ensign  of  America's 
noble  sons. 


156  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL. 

TNWELCOME  as  the  truth  may  be,  many  nominal 
^    Protestants  are  the  bond  slaves  of  Popery,  and  fear 
more  the  "anathema"  of  the  father  confessor  than  the 
wrath  of  Omnipotence. 
There,  for  example,  is 

FARMER  TRUSTWORTHY. 

He  has  ten  thousand  acres,  more  or  less,  of  beautiful, 
rich  land,  his  house  furnished,  and  his  barns  filled.  He 
numbers  his  cattle  by%  thousands,  while  bankers  and 
brokers  bow  obsequiously  to  him.  If  there  is  a  man  on 
earth  who  may  boast  of  personal  independence,  he  is 
that  man.  He  sincerely  believes  that  he  daily  thanks 
God  for  civil'and  religious  liberty.  He  once  almost  wept 
his  eyes  dim  over  the  real  and  imaginary  evils  of  African 
slavery.  He  would  not  own  a  slave  for  all  the  gold  of 
California,  nor  be  a  slave  for  the  whole  world ;  and  yet, 
poor,  mistaken  soul,  he  is  a  slave  to  his  ignorant  and 
superstitious  hirelings,  through  the  confessional.  He 
dare  not,  at  his  breakfast-table,  speak  his  sentiments  on 
Romanism  in  the  presence  of  his  wife  or  children.  But 
why  not?  The  reason  is  obvious.  There  sits  "Mike," 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.      157 

"Pat,"  "Barney,"  "Jimmy  Reagan,"  "Dan  O'Flaherty," 
and  a  few  more  priest-ridden  victims  of  the  confessional, 
who  have  been  taught,  and  who  most  sincerely  believe, 
that  "heretics"  have  no  rights  which  Romanists  are 
bound  to  respect,  and  that  a  word  spoken  against  "Holy 
Mother  Church"  is  a  mortal  sin  deserving  death  and 
eternal  perdition.  The  result  may  be  easily  inferred  : 
Mike  will  get  mad  and  leave,  Pat  will  tell  the  priest, 
Jimmy  and  the  rest  will  raise  Satan  generally,  and 
"Farmer  Trustworthy"  will  be  left  alone  to  hoe  his 
corn  and  potatoes. 

Shame  on  such  truculent  pusillanimity.  He  could 
discuss,  the  merits  of  any  other  subject  or  system  of 
religion,  and,  if  he  choose  to  do  so,  denounce  any  other 
denomination  in  unmeasured  terms  of 'obliquy,  with  their 
most  unqualified  approbation;  but  the  mildest  allusion 
to  the  errors  of  Romanism  explodes  the  magazine  of  their 
concealed  wrath,  the  effect  of  which  he  dreads  more 
than  he  does  the  bolts  of  heaven's  artillery.  A  slave 
most  abject  is  he  whose  soul  is  not  his  own. 

MERCHANT  BLARNEY 

Is  constitutionally  and  habitually  a  pleasant,  affable, 
easy-going  gentleman,  and  desires  the  good  will  of  man- 
kind generally,  and  especially  their  patronage.  With 
him  the  great  moral  question  is,  "  Will  it  pay  ?"  Enter 
his  large  store  on  Main  Street.  He  will  meet  you  with 
a  smile,  and  converse  fluently  about  prices  current,  Wall 
Street  brokers,  "Bulls  and  bears,"  and  the  general  topics 


158  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

of  the  day.  He  seems  to  be  a  princely  merchant,  and  a 
perfect  gentleman  at  home,  and  possessed  of  a  manly 
independence  sufficient  for  any  emergency.  lie  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  true  Protestant,  from  principle  and  from 
choice.  He  becomes  eloquent  in  the  discussion  of  party 
politics,  and  among  Protestants  boldly  asserts  his  relig- 
ous  principles.  But  introduce  the  subject  of  Romanism, 
and  how  changed  his  deportment!  He  cautiously  glances 
an  eye  to  the  remote  part  of  his  store,  where  he  has  a 
Romanist  for  salesman  or  book-keeper,  who  is  there  to 
secure  Roman  customers,  and  perhaps  at  the  instigation 
of  a  priest,  whose  interests  he  is  endeavoring  to  sub- 
serve. Probably,  better  men  have  been  rejected,  simply 
because  they  were  Protestants,  and  would  not  cater  to 
the  sycophantic  wishes  of  the  proprietor.  There  yet 
stands  the  proprietor,  in  painful  suspense,  looking  first 
over  one  shoulder,  then  over  the  other,  in  breathless 
silence. 

The  reason  is  obvious.  He  has  a  few  yards  of  cheap 
calico,  worth  about  six  cents  per  yard  (and  a  hard  bar- 
gain at  that),  and  he  knows  that,  unless  he  can  impose 
it  on  Bridget,  he  will  never  sell  it,  in  this  world  or  in 
the  next.  And  he  must  have  a  clear  coast  before  he 
dare  utter  a  sentence  on  the  subject  of  Romanism, 
lest  the  fact  should  reach  the  priest  in  the  confessional, 
and  he  lose  the  hard-earned  patronage  of  the  Church, 
which  he  has  gained  at  the  sacrifice  of  manly  inde- 
pendence. 

Thus  the  princely  merchant,  Blarney,  with  the  fear 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.        159 

of  the  confessional  before  his  eyes,  is  a  crouching  slave 

to  his  Roman  customers. 

•r 

DOCTOR  DOOLITTLE. 

A  few  doors  around  the  corner  is  the  office  of  Doctor 
Doolittle,  with  an  old  scull  and  a  few  bones  lyiruq  loosely 
around  for  the  edification  of  small  children,  and  for  the 
especial  comfort  of  nervous  women.  A  few  empty 
quinine  bottles,  and  many  large  patent-medicine  adver- 
tisements, proclaim  him  a  man  of  business.  He  looks 
out  through  his  youthful  glasses  the  very  personification 
of  wisdom,  and  speaks  Latin  so  fluently  that  he  has  al- 
most forgotten  his  vernacular  tongue. 

The  subject  of  Romanism  is  introduced,  and  he 
prances  around  his  room  (six  by  nine),  vociferating  and 
gesticulating  as  if  the  destiny  of  the  nation  were  sus- 
pended on  his  lips.  Do  you  inquire  what  is  the  matter? 
Matter  enough!  He  has  a  few  sugar-coated  pills,  hard 
enough  to  shoot  at  muskrats.  He  knows  he  will  never 
sell  them  on  earth,  unless  he  prescribes  them  for  "Pat," 
"Mike,"  "  Barney,"  or  some  of  the  rest,  when  they  shake 
"wid  the  ague"  His  pills  must  be  sold  if,  as  a  conse- 
quence, the  world  should  be  damned. 

With  him,  "one  religion  is  about  as  good  as  another," 
and  his  moral  vision  never  rises  above  his  sordid  interests. 
With  him,  principle  is  both  antiquated  and  obsolete.  He 
keeps  one  eye  to  the  confessiona.1,  and  the  other  to  his 
pocket;  and  would  sooner  offend  Jesus  Christ  than  a 
parish  priest. 


160  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

GROCER  DRINKALL, 

• 

T^ie  personification  of  brutality  and  vulgarity,  is  horri- 
fied at  the  thought  of  any  presumptuous  mortal  daring 
to  utter  a  word  against  the  "  Holy  Mother  Church."  Its 
members  are  his  best  customers ;  and  if  his  whisky  is 
not  strong  they  will  take  the  more  of  it.  He  would  be 
bankrupt  in  twelve  months  if  all  were  Protestants,  and 
true  to  their  principles.  He  occasionally  gives  the 
priest  a  free  glass  for  his  influence  in  the  confessional. 

>» 

ATTORNEY  ALLQUIBBLE. 

He  reads  Blackstone,  Chitty,  Kent,  Greenleaf,  Story, 
etc.,  during  the  week,  with  a  cigar  in  his  mouth,  and  his 
heels  on  his  office  table,  often  higher  than  his  head.  He 
derives  legal  inspiration  from  the  fumes  of  tobacco,  and 
often  intensified  by  bad  whisky.  He  seldom  reads  the 
Bible;  but  is  a  theologian  by  intuition.  He  attends 
the  Roman  Church,  and  braces  himself  upon  his  imagin- 
ary  dignity,  often  assuming  a  large  amount  he  never 
possessed.  He  nods  assent  to  whole  pages  of  Latin,  ten 
words  of  which  he  does  not  understand.  Do  you  ask 
for  the  cause  of  his  devotion  ?  The  answer  is  brief:  he 
is  an  aspiring  politician;  he  wants  the  patronage  of  the 
Church  d uving  the  week,  and,  above  all,  he  wants  votes 
on  election  day.  By  name  he  is  a  Protestant,  by  inter- 
est a  Papist.  As  to  principle  or  piety,  destitute  of  both. 
He  bows  obeisance  to  the  priest,  hoping  to  be  remembered 
graciously  in  the  confessional,  and  in  a  trying  hour,  late 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.      161 

in  the  afternoon  on  some  future  election  day.  lie  is 
open  to  conviction  on  all  great  Roman  questions,  and 
willing  to  pledge  himself  in  consideration  of  the  Iloman 
vote,  that,  if  elected,  he  will  advocate  certain  specified 
appropriations  of  public  funds  for  Roman  institutions, 
or  that  he  will  favor  the  reduction  of  the  salaries  of 
teachers  in  the  public  schools,  and  especially  oppose  the 
reading  of  the  Bible  in  them.  He  further  pledges  that 
he  will  oppose,  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  the  enact- 
ment of  any  law  that  will  restrict  the  desecration  of  the 
Sabbath,  or  prohibit  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors, 
whereby  his  Roman  constituents  might  be  deprived  of 
Sabbath  "recreation,"  and  the  indispensable  privilege  of 
selling  beer  and  bad  whisky.  He  further  pledges,  that 
if  he  can  not  wholly  succeed  in  abolishing  those  objec- 
tionable "sumptuary"  laws,  he  will  endeavor  to  have 
them  so  modified  and  guarded  with  legal  technicalities, 
that  an  expert  or  shyster  before  a  packed  jury  will  make 
it  extremely  difficult  to  enforce  the  penalty.  And  if 
there  is  any  other  scavenger  work  to  be  done,  he  is  ready 
for  the  contract.  Of  course  he  would  spurn  a  bribe,  that, 
if  detected,  might  subject  him  to  a  penalty;  but,  being  a 
lawyer,  he  has  a  right  to  expect  a  fee  for  professional 
service.  And  in  consideration  of  a  few  thousand  dollars, 
pledged  for  the  purpose  of  lobbying  and  "log  rolling,"  he 
will  take  a  contract.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  not 
difficult  for  him  to  find  assistance.  Others  who  have 
been  elected  by  similar  influences,  as  unscrupulous  as 

himself,  may  each  have  an  "ax  to  grind,"  and  they  work 

11 


162  A  UEICULAR  CONFESSION  EXP J Sr.P. 

each  for  the  other,  but  all  for  sordid  self.  Thus  legisla- 
tion is  corrupted,  the  people  are  defrauded,  the  country 
impoverished,  and  monopolies  formed  to  subserve  the 
interests  of  aspiring  demagogues,  whose  election  was 
secured  through  the  influence  of  Romanists,  and  by  the 
direct  instigation  and  dictation  of  the  confessional.  A 
careful  examination  of  this  subject  will  exhibit  the  fact 
that  the  present  corruption  of  this  country  is  justly 
attributed  to  the  partisan  strife  and  the  consequent  pro- 
motion of  unscrupulous  demagogues  to  position  and 
power,  through  the  alien  influence  of  a  foreign  popula- 
tion, many  of  whom  have  been  made  infidels  by  Popery, 
and  others  through  the  confessional,  under  the  dictation 
of  ecclesiastical  superiors,  or  the  sworn  vassals  of  an 
ecclesiastical  despot  at  Rome.  In  view  of  these  and 
similar  facts,  it  is  not  strange  that  honest  patriots,  re- 
gardless of  party,  are  combining  their  influence  to  sup- 
press this  prolific  source  of  political  corruption. 

Let  the  confessional  be  suppressed,  and  Roman  priest- 
craft will  lose  its  corrupting  political  power,  and  as  a 
consequence,  aspiring  partisans  will  sink  to  obscurity  in 
merited  contempt,  and  their  places  be  filled  by  better 
men. 

PETER  PETTIFOGGER. 

This  distinguished  personage  had  the  misfortune  to 
be  born  a  professional  man,  deficient  in  brains.  His  dis- 
tinguishing qualifications  are  impudence,  ignorance,  and 
strong  lungs.  He  is  too  much  of  a  gentleman  to  work, 
and  as  a  professional  man,  his  ability  is  not  appreciated. 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.      163 

He  is  an  expert  when  whittling  pine  splinters  and  dis- 
coursing on  politics  in  a  third-rate  country  tavern,  or  at 
the  door  of  a  cheap  store,  or  in  a  drinking  saloon.  lie 
sits  around  loosely,  waiting  for  something  to  turn  up;  he 
pries  into  every  body's  business,  but,  unfortunately,  has 
but  little  of  his  own.  If  there  is  strife,  or  petty  litiga- 
tion in  the  community,  he  is  sure  to  interest  himself, 
and,  if  possible,  increase  the  difficulties,  and  prevent  an 
amicable  adjustment.  At  primary  caucusses  he  is  ever 
present;  he  is  a  man  of  expediency.  Qualification  for 
office,  and  honest  principle,  are  with  him  never  taken 
into  the  account.  At  political  hustings  he  shouts  the 
loudest  against  political  corruption  by 'men  in  power, 
provided  his  party  -are  out  of  office. 

When  the  election  approaches,  he  becomes  officiously 
obsequious ;  he  bows  politely  to  Mike  Mooney,  Pat 
O'Flaherty,  etc.,  and  significantly  suggests  that  it  will  be 
for  the  interest  of  their  religion  if  certain  candidates  are 
elected  ;  that  he  has  at  his  disposal  several  hundred  dol- 
lars for  free  drinks,  which  can  be  had  in  consideration  of 
the  votes  of  certain  customers,  and,  as  additional  incen- 
tive, the  parties  to  be  elected  are  in  full  sympathy  with 
their  business,  if  not  daily  patrons.  The  motive  is  suffi- 
cient ;  Mooney  and  O'Flaherty  are  converted  and 
pledged  to  the  cause.  Whisky  flows  freely,  and  the 
rabble  shout  for  and  vote  for  the  men  who  paid  for  the 
whisky.  And  whatever  may  be  be  the  result  to  indi- 
viduals, society,  or  the  country  at  large,  is  a  matter  of 
indifference,  since  a  visit  to  the  confessional,  and  alms 


164  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

for  the  priest,  will  insure  .absolution.  Perjury  and  mur- 
der may  have  been  committed  in  drunken  debauchery, 
but  the  magic  wand  of  Auricular  Confession  wipes  all 
away,  and  leaves  "Peter  Pettifogger"  and  his  accomplices 
in  spotless  purity  to  resume  their  works  at  pleasure. 

Thus  scavenger  work  is  done  on  contract;  and  this 
bargain  and  sale  corrupts  all  parties,  and  fills  responsible 
offices  with  irresponsible  men. 

In  party  strife,  Romanists  are  put  forward  by  each 
party  to  control  the  clanish  votes  of  their  sect,  and  if 
not  elected  by  one  party,  they  may  be  elected  by  another, 
and  in  either  case  promotes  them  to  position  and  power, 
and  thereby  jeopardizes  the  peace  and  safety  of  the  peo- 
ple. But  what  does  Peter  care  for  the  well-being  of  so- 
ciety ?  His  India-rubber  conscience  causes  him  no  trouble ; 
he  is  willing  to  become  all  things  to  all  sorts  of  men, 
women,  and  children,  if,  by  all  means,  he  may  control  a 
few  votes  on  election  day.  He  would  sell  his  soul  to  the 
devil,  and  his  body  to  the  Pope,  for  partisan  purposes. 

FLORA  MTLIMSEY 

Is  another  dupe  of  Papal  despotism.  It  may  be  she 
lives  in  a  large  brown-stone  mansion,  thoroughly  fur- 
nished. She  professes  to  be  a  true  Protestant,  and  boasts 
of  her  puritan  ancestry. 

Tap  gently  the  silver  bell  at  her  door,  and  out  comes 
Bridget;  you  are  seated  in  the  parlor,  and  Bridget  re- 
tires. Presently  Flora  makes  her  appearance,  and  seems 
to  be  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  independence  equal  to 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.        165 

any  emergency.*  She  converses  freely  and  frankly  on 
•the  general  topics  of  the  day,  not  excepting  metaphysics, 
theology,  and  political  economy.  In  fact,  she  seems  to 
possess  personal  independence  sufficient  to  command  a 
regiment  of  soldiers  at  Waterloo  or  Bunker  Hill.  But 
let  the  subject  of  Romanism  be  introduced,  and  how 
changed  her  deportment.  She  glances  a  significant  eye 
to  the  sitting-room,  dining-room,  or  kitchen,  as  she 
quietly  closes  the  parlor  door,  and  in  a  suppressed  voice, 
almost  a  whisper,  she  announces  the  important  fact  "my 
servant,  Bridget,  is  a  Catholic."  She  could  have  freely 
criticised  any  other  sect  or  party,  could  have  censured 
the  Congress  or  President  of  the  United  States;  but  she 
dare  not  speak  her  sentiments  on  Romanism  in  the  pres- 
ence of  an  ignorant  servant.  The  reason  is  obvious. 
She  knows  that  her  servant  is  a  spy  in  her  house,  and 
that  a  word  spoken  against  Romanism  will  be  reported 
to  the  priest  in  the  confessional,  and  he  may  take  away 
her  servant,  and  prevent  her  from  obtaining  another,  and 
thus  compel  her  to  wash  her  own  spoons.  Poor  Flora, 
with  all  her  wealth  and  boasted  independence,  she  is  a 
slave  to  an  ignorant  dupe  of  Popery,  and  she  is  more 
influenced  by  the  muttering  curses  of  a  bachelor  priest 
in  the  confessional,  than  by  the  voice  of  her  Omnipotent 
Creator. 

SIMON  SIMPLETON. 

He  is  a  nondescript  whose  insignificant  dimensions 
baffle  description  of  pen  or  tongue,  whose  impudence  is 
only  commensurate  with  his  ignorance.  He  is  a  forked 


166  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

thing,  with  fat  meat  for  brains,  with  empty  head  and 
pocket,  and,  if  requisite,  willing  to  replenish  both  with* 
'falsehood.  He  has  been  promoted  from  the  position  of  a 
third-rate  "  printer's  devil,"  to  the  responsible  position 
of  a  fourth-class  penny-a-liner.  Like  a  half-famished 
canine,  he  is  scenting  every  cesspool  in  search  of  gar- 
bage. By  instinct,  if  not  by  education,  is  a  defender 
of  the  Roman  faith,  whisky  shops,  and  the  confessional. 
He  is  a  fit  subject  for  Popish  priestcraft,  and  a  persistent 
and  perpetual  applicant  for  scavenger  work.  In  name 
he  is  Protestant,  in  principle  nothing.  He  is  incompe- 
tent to  report  an  intelligent  address,  and  in  his  blissful 
ignorance  imagines  himself  competent  to  intimidate  men 
of  principle  and  sense,  who  dare  defend  the  right.  Ut- 
terly irresponsible,  a  slave  to  the  confessional,  so  far  be- 
neath contempt  that  he  can  only  be  reached  by  the 
withering  blast  of  scorn. 

PARSON  GOODTALK 

Is  pastor  of  a  large  and  fashionable  city  Church.  He 
belongs  to  a  highly  honored  and  very  useful  class  of 
professional  men.  He  is  a  perfect  gentleman,  a  profound 
*  scholar  in  many  departments,  a  conscientious  Christian, 
and  in  his  theological  training  he  split  all  the  fine  hairs 
in  critical  exegesis  between  Calvin  and  Arminius,  but, 
unfortunately,  never  sounded  the  bottomless  gulf  be- 
tween the  Pope  of  Rome  and  Jesus  Christ.  And,  as  a 
consequence,  he  is  silent  on  that  subject.  He  really 
knows  but  little  of  the  fearful  depths  of  corruption 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.      167 

veiled  in  the  "Mystery  of  Iniquity,"  and  his  congrega- 
tion far  less.  Members  of  his  Church,  with  their  infants 
in  their  arms,  and  tears  in  their  eyes,  will  solemnly  cov- 
enant, before  God  and  the  Church,  that  they  will  train 
their  children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord, 
and  who,  at  the  earliest  opportunity,  send  them  to  a 
Roman  convent  or  Jesuit  school,  to  be  trained  in  the 
service  of  the  devil.  The  lambs  of  the  flock  are  slaugh- 
tered by  wolves,  and  the  watchful  shepherd  gives  the 
alarm,  and,  with  shepherd's  crook  and  sling,  attempts  to 
defend  his  flock  against  the  ravages  of  the  destroyer. 
But  here  he  is  assailed  through  the  confessional.  Not 
directly;  this  would  be  detected,  and  denounced  as  per- 
secution. No;  the  most  polished  shafts  of  the  devil's 
armory  must  be.  brought  into  requisition.  There  is 
Deacon  Brown,  Colonel  Jones,  and  Alexander  the  Cop- 
persmith, who  are  regarded  as  pillars  of  the  Church,  and 
upon  whom  the  poor  shepherd  is  largely  dependent  for 
pasturage  and  a  field  in  which  to  labor.  They  are 
worldly-minded  business  men,  engaged  in  heaA'y  commer- 
cial transactions,  and  view  all  moral  questions  from  a 
worldly  stand-point,  and  decide  questions  of  religious 
principle  by  a  computation  of  present  loss  and  gain. 
Here,  again,  is  another  opportunity  to  crush  a  faithful 
minister,  and  stab  the  cause  of  truth,  through  the  con- 
fessional; and  the  priest  of  Rome  gladly  avails  himself 
of  the  opportunity.  Through  the  confessional,  he  hurls 
the  weight  of  his  congregation  against  the  business  in- 
terests of  these  Church  officers;  and  they,  feeling  the 


168  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

pressure,  but  not  comprehending  its  import,  fly  at  once 
to  the  pastor  for  relief.  They  entreat  him,  in  all  sin- 
cerity, to  desist;  that  preaching  against  Romanism  will 
ruin  their  Church.  The  Church  is  feeble,  and  only  able 
to  meet  expenses  now,  and  a  few  more  sermons  on  that 
subject  will  be  fatal  to  its  future  success. 

0,  how  little  do  such  men  understand  the  hidden 
mystery,  Popery !  How  little  do  they  comprehend  the 
fact  that  they  are  under  the  instigation  of  a  Popish  priest 
in  the  confessional,  muzzling  the  mouth  and  fettering  the 
hands  of  a  faithful  minister  of  Jesus  Christ!  How  little 
do  they  comprehend  the  fact  that  they  are  plunging  a 
dagger  to  the  heart  of  the  Church  they  profess  to  love! 

Such  are  the  secret  workings,  of  Auricular  Confes- 
sion. It  is  an  all-pervading  spirit  of  intolerance;  and, 
in  all  departments  of  society  and  business,  to  the  extent 
of  clerical  power,  it  is  used  to  intimidate  Protestants,  to 
prevent  them  from  asserting  their  rights  and  defending 
their  principles. 

Special  effort  is  made  to  embarrass  Protestant  enter- 
prises, and  intimidate  public  men.  There  is  scarcely 
an  influential  political  newspaper  in  the  land,  of  any 
party,  that  is  not  held  under  restrictions  by  Popery. 
They  are  endeavoring  to  gain  possession  of  many  of  the 
large  public  halls,  and,  when  they  can  do  no  more,  get 
in  Romanists  as  agents;  and  in  either  case  have  power 
to  favor  Papists,  and  annoy  or  exclude  Protestants. 
They  .are  putting  forward  Romanists  as  reporters  for 
papers,  from  whom  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  a 


PROTESTANT  SLAVES  TO  THE  CONFESSIONAL.      169 

fair  and  truthful  report  of  any  lecture  or  address  by  a 
Protestant.  Special  attention  is  given  to  all  that  relates 
to  the  interests  of  Popery. 

Through  the  confessional,  efforts  are  made  to  sup- 
press the  circulation  of  the  Bible  among  the  people,  and 
its  use  in  schools.  Through  the  confessional,  efforts  are 
made  to  cause  news-agents  and  even  train-boys  to  circu- 
late Roman  literature;  and  in  all  possible  ways  the  con- 
fessional is  employed  to  darken  and  mislead  the  minds 
of  its  adherents.  It  is  the  secret  projecting  power  of 
mobs,  tumults,  and  assassinations.  The  best  method  of 
quelling  a  mob  is  to  give  the  priest  due  notice  that  he 
will  be  held  responsible  for  the  consequences. 

After  careful  observation  for  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century,  and  in  many  of  the  strongholds  of  Popery  in 
America;  and  after  having  repelled  mob  violence,  and 
thwarted  repeated  plots  of  assassination,  we  confidently 
assert,  as  our  deliberate  conviction,  that  Roman  mobs  are 
either  by  direct  instigation  of  the  clergy,  or  the  result 
of  their  intolerant  theology  through  the  confessional,  or 
both  combined.  And  we  unhesitatingly  declare  that,  in 
our  opinion,  the  most  effectual  method  of  preventing  or 
suppressing  mob  violence  is,  to  hold  the  Roman  clergy 
accountable,  in  person  and  property,  for  the  consequences. 


170  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PRISON-PENS  FOR  AMERICAN  DAUGHTERS. 

"\T7~E  can  not  dismiss  the  subject  of  Auricular  Confes- 
sion in  connection  with  convent  life,  without  giving 
one  more  incident. 

The  Inquisition  yet  exists  at  Rome,  and  Catholic 
bishops  from  America,  with  the  knowledge  of  the  fact, 
have  gone  to  Rome,  to  bow  obsequiously  around  the 
Pope,  and,  possibly,  may  enjoy  the  exquisite  pleasure  of 
kissing  his  big-toe.  This  is  their  privilege,  and  we  do 
not  covet  their  pleasure.  But  we  have  a  right  to  say 
something  about  their  prison-pens  in  our  own  country.  We 
have  a  right  to  look  into  the  dungeons  of  high-walled 
convents.  We  have  a  right  to  demand  the  release  of 
prisoners  who  are  famishing  for  food.  We  have  a  right 
to  demand  the  protection  of  the  orphan,  and  the  liberty 
of  captives ;  and  we  appeal  to  Americans  and  Protestants 
to  lend  their  influence,  until  the  oppressed  shall  go  free. 
The  following  is  but  one  instance  of  suffering  and  op- 
pression. We  regard  the  statements  as  well  authenti- 
cated. We  are  personally  acquainted  with  some  of  the 
parties,  and,  from  prudential  reasons,  withhold  names. 

We  have  other  startling  facts,  which,  if  published, 
might  jeopardize  the  life  of  the  victim.  Read  the 


PEISON-PENS  FOR  AMERICAN  DA  UGHTERS.          1 71 

folloAving  letters,  and,  in  the  strength  of  American  Prot- 
estants, resolve  that  the  prisons  shall  be  opened,  and  the 
oppressed  shall  go  free  : 

"  QUINCY,  June  24,  18G7. 

"J.  G.  "WHITE:  DEAR  SIR, —  The  inclosed  letter  is  from  a 
young  lady  who  went  to  the  convent  at  Belleville,  one  year 
ago,  to  attend  school.  She  is  an  orphan  ;  has  considerable  of 

fortune ;  also  has  Mr. ,  of  this  city,  as  guardian.     She  was 

engaged  to  be  married  when  she  started  to  the  school,  but 
wished  to  be  better  prepared  to  mingle  in  the  accomplished 
society  which  her  marriage  would  throw  her  in.  And  this,  sir, 
is  the  end  to  which  she  is  brought  in  this  short  time.  I  wish 
you  would  publish  this,  and  perhaps  it  would  keep  some  other 
Protestant  girl  from  going.  There  are  few  strong  enough  to 
withstand  their  power  when  once  under  their  care. 

"  QUINCY  FRIEND." 

"BELLEVILLE,  June  13,  1867. 

"Mns.  :  DEAR  FRIEND, — You  have  not  the  slightest 

idea  of  the  extraordinary  pleasure  that  I  derived  from  yours 
of  May  15th.  I  should  have  written  ere  this,  but  I  wished  to 
give  you  a  decided  answer  as  to  whether  I  could  come  home 
or  not.  \\rith  inexpressible  $oy  would  I  accept  your  kind  invi- 
tation if  it  were  possible,  but  the  sad  news  came  this  morning 
that  I  can  not.  O,  what  a  smart  to  my  heart !  What  a  cloud 
hangs  over  my  life,  when  I  think  that  I  shall  never — no, 
never — more  behold  you,  my  dear  and  cherished  friend !  I  had 
flattered  myself  with  the  vain  hope  that  I  should  see  you  once 
more:  vain  hopes!  they  sadly  deluded  me.  I  shall  soon  part 
with  all  that  is  dear.  I  am  to  be  received  into  the  Trappist 
order.  I  will  give  you  a  slight  idea  of  the  life  I  shall  hereafter 
lead.  We  never  appear  outside  the  walls;  never  smile;  never 
speak,  only  when  very  necessary;  sleep  in  a  coffin,  and  each 
day  dig  a  small  portion  of  our  own  grave;  practice  all  kinds 
of  penance  and  fastings.  Our  food  is  bread  and  water  chiefly, 
with  herb  soup.  No  flesh  eaten. 

"O,  what  a  contrast!  I  often  compare  it  with  the  past,  and 
can  hardly  believe  it  true — sometimes  imagine  it  a  dream; 


172  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

but  no,  it  is  reality.  The  world  no  longer  affords  me  pleasure. 
No  doubt,  JTOU  will  think  me  strange;  perhaps  crazy.  I  am 
not,  yet.  Let  j'our  thoughts  be  as  strange  as  they  may,  they 
can  not  exceed  mine.  I  have  one  request  to  make.  I  pray,  I 
beg  of  you,  to  never  efface  me  from  your  memory.  O,  what  a 
consolation  will  it  be  to  me,  in  my  lonely  cloister,  to  know  that 
you,  my  dearest  friend,  will  think  of  me  when  all  others  shall 
have  forgotten  me!  I  look  upon  you  as  my  consoling  angel. 
Oft  in  my  solitude  will  I  think  of  you.  I  shall  never  forget 
your  dear  features.  No  doubt,  I  have  hitherto  displeased  and 
offended  you ;  .but  I  implore  your  forgiveness.  Erelong,  you 
may  look  upon  me  as  one  dead ;  for  so  I  shall  be  to  the  gay 
and  gaudy  world.  I  believe  I  have  written  quite  enough  for 
the  present. 

"Please  remember  me  to  ,  and  accept  my  love  for 

yourself.  I  am,  as  ever,  your  loving 

"MOLLIE." 

We  published  the  facts  at  the  time,  and  appealed  to 
the  guardian  of  this  orphan  girl  to  rescue  her,  which  we 
are  informed  he  did  immediately.  Time  alone  can  de- 
velop her  future  destiny.  The  fact  that  convents  have 
their  prison-pens  and  appliances  of  cruelty  is  no  longer 
a  matter  of  doubt,  and  that  helpless  females  are  there 
imprisoned  for  life  is  equally  evident. 

How  long  will  slumbering  Americans  submit  to  the 
dictation  and  domination  of  mediaeval  Popery,  with  its 
dungeons  and  tortures?  How  long  shall  the  cry  of 
orphans  be  unheard  ?  How  long  shall  ecclesiastical 
brothels  corrupt  American  youth,  and  defy  the  civil 
authorities  to  investigate  their  sanctimonious  pretensions? 
If  county  and  State  prisons,  alms-houses,  and  asylums 
may  be  inspected,  why  not  convents  and  monasteries  ? 
Why  should  prison-pens  be  established  in  our  midst, 


PRISON-PENS  FOR  AMERICAN  DA  UGHTERS.          173 

under  the  minions  of  the  Pope  of  Rome,  who  yet  sits 
brooding  over  the  Inquisition  in  Rome,  while  patriots 
pine  in  its  sanguinary  vaults? 

We  appeal  to  Americans,  and  all  friends  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  to  arise  in  your  legislative  sover- 
eignty, and  demand  that  convents  shall  be  open  to  in- 
spection, or  forever  closed,  on  American  soil. 


174  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 


CHAPTER  XVlI. 

PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED  THROUGH  THE  CONFESSIONAL. 

npHE  fact  that  Romanists  are  engaged  in  a  conspiracy 
-*-  to  destroy  civil  and  religious  liberty  in  America  is 
apparent  to  till  \vho  have  given  careful  attention  to  the 
subject.  It  is  equally  evident  that  the  Papal  power  is 
broken  on  the  Eastern  Continent,  and  its  last  forlorn 
hope  is  on  the  Continent  of  America,  and  to  this  its 
energies  are  directed.  Its  plans  are  far-reaching  and 
deeply  laid,  and  a  struggle  has  commenced  with  a  des- 
peration worthy  of  a  doomed  and  despairing  despotism. 
The  spirit  of  Popery  is  inherently  intolerant ;  it  is  un- 
changed and  unchangeable  for  the  better.  The  idea  of  a 
radical  reformation  in  the  system  of  Popery  is  a  fallacy 
incompatible  with  history  and  without  authority  from 
the  Bible.  The  system  of  Popery  is  not,  was  not,  and 
never  can  be,  an  integral  part  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  a  huge  excrescence  which,  amidst  igno- 
rance and  superstition,  has  developed  itself,  and  which 
has  endeavored  to  subvert  and  supplant  every  principle 
of  truth  taught  by  Jesus  Christ.  In  the  whole  range  of 
Christian  theology  there  is  not  a  cardinal  doctrine  which 
Papal  Rome  has  not  distorted  or  perverted,  not  except- 
ing the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ.  To  a  casual  reader 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  175 

terms  are  often  employed  that  seem  to  be  in  conformity 
to  the  teaching  of  the  Bible,  and  are  therefore  more 
liable  to  mislead  and  deceive.  The  system  of  Popery 
is  not  to  be  reformed,  but  to  be  "destroyed  by  the 
brightness  of  His  coining." 

The  Papal  power  is  now,  as  in  time  past,  unscrupu- 
lous as  to  the  means  to  be  employed,  provided  they  ac- 
complish the  desired  end.  "  No  faith  with  heretics"  is  as 
true  of  Popery  now  in  America  as  in  the  days  of  John 
Huss  and  the  Inquisition.  The  cruel  edicts  of  Popes  and 
Councils  are  not  repealed,  and  they  are  ready  to  be  en- 
forced if  Romanists  had  the  power.  The  fires  of  Papal 
persecution  are  not  extinct,  they  are  only  obscured  amidst 
the  ruins  and  smoldering  ashes  of  an  ecclesiastical  des- 
potism. A  favorable  breeze  would  again  fan  them  to  a 
flame.  The  recent  proclamation  of  infallibility  is  only 
the  reassertion  of  the  intolerant  principles  of  the  dark 
ages.  It  is  worthy  of  Pope  Gregory  VII,  the  nefarious 
despot,  by  whom  it  was  originated,  and  the  corrupt  and 
licentious  Popes  by  whom  it  was  maintained. 

The  recent  proclamation  of  the  Pope's  infallibility  is 
an  insult  to  common  sense,  and  a  reiteration  of  the  in- 
tolerant principles  which  have  caused  the  death  of  mill- 
ions of  God's  faithful  servants. 

The  doctrine  of  infallibility  is  by  many  imperfectly 
understood.  It  has  a  direct  connection  with  every 
other  part  of  the  intolerant  system,  not  excepting 
Auricular  Confession.  Infallibility,  as  defined  and  un- 
derstood at  Rome  and  in  apppoved  theology,  means : 


1 7G  A  UEICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

1.  That  in  "dogma"  (doctrine  of  the  Church)  the 
Pope  can  not  err. 

2.  That   by  Divine   right  he  is  universal  spiritual 
sovereign  throughout  the  world,  and  all  arc  bound  to 
obey  him. 

3.  That  by  virtue  of  his  universal  spiritual  supremacy 
he  is  also  universal  temporal  sovereign — above  king,  queen, 
emperor,  president,  or  constitution — and  as  such  he  re- 
quires all  Romanists  to  swear  superior  allegiance  to  him. 

Thus  Doctor  Dollinger  and  Father  Hyacinthe  'de- 
clare that  they  can  not  be  true  to  the  government  under 
which  they  live,  and  true  to  the  dogma  of  infallibility. 
Nor  can  a  man  be  an  orthodox  Romanist  and  true  to  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States.  They  are  as  adverse  as 
light  and  darkness,  liberty  and  despotism,  Christ  and 
antichrist.  No  man  can  be  true  to  both.  Popery  is 
confessedly  an  absolute  monarchy.  The  Government  of 
the  United  States  is  a  democratic  Republic.  They  have 
no  affinity  for  each  other. 

Protestantism  and  Popery  have  never  harmonized, 
nor  can  they  ever  harmonize.  One  or  the  other  will,  on 
this  continent,  become  extinct.  Papists  are  sanguine, 
and  boast  that  they  will  subvert  and  supplant  Protest- 
antism in  America.  Many  intelligent  Protestants  declare 
that  they  shall  not  do  it.  And  a  conflict  of  a  fearful 
character  is  inevitable,  and  probably  much  nearer  than 
many  persons  have  imagined.  Romanists  are  thoroughly 
organized,  and  many  Protestants  are  profoundly  asleep, 
apprehending  no  danger. 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  177 

To  arrest  attention  and  awake  a  slumbering  nation, 
let  facts  be  exhibited,  and  let  the  people  observe  the 
fearful  oaths  by  which  Romanists  bind  themselves  to 
obey  the  Pope. 

The  following  is  the 'oath  taken  by  every  Popish 
bishop  on  his  consecration.  It  was  abreviated  in  com- 
pliance with  a  request  from  this  country,  by  the  Pope  in 
1846,  but  nothing  in  sentiment  or  spirit  was  omitted  : 

ROMISH   BISHOP'S   OATH. 

"I,  G.  N.,  elect  of  the  Church  of  N.,  from  henceforth  will 
be  faithful  and  obedient  to  St.  Peter  the  Apostle,  and  to  the 
holy  Eoman  Church,  and  to  our  lord,  the  Lord  N.,  Pope  N., 
and  to  his  successors  canonic-ally  coming  in.  I  will  neither  ad- 
vise, consent,  nor  do  any  thing  that  they  may  lose  life  or 
member,  or  that  their  persons  may  be  seized  or  hands  any 
wise  laid  upon  them,  or  any  injuries  offered  to  them,  under  any 
pretense  whatsoever.  The  counsel  which  they  shall  intrust  me 
withal,  by  themselves,  their  messengers,  or  letters,  I  will  not 
knowingly  reveal  to  any,  to  their  prejudice.  I  will  help  them 
to  defend  and  keep  the  Eoman  Papacy  and  the  royalties  of  St. 
Peter,  saving  my  order  against  all  men.  The  legate  of  the 
apostolic  see,  going  and  coming.  1  will  honorably  treat,  and 
help  in  his  necessities.  The  rights,  honors,  and  privileges,  and 
authority  of  the  holy  Eoman  Church,  of  our  lord  the  Pope  and 
his  aforesaid  successors,  I  will  endeavor  to  preserve,  defend, 
increase,  and  advance.  I  will  not  bo  in  any  council,  action,  or 
treaty,  in  which  shall  be  plotted  against  our  said  lord,  and  the 
said  Eoman  Church,  any  thing  to  the  hurt  or  prejudice  of  their 
persons,  right,  honor,  state,  or  power;  and  if  I  shall  know  any 
such  thing  to  be  treated  or  agitated  by  any  whomsoever,  I  will 
hinder  it  all  that  I  can  ;  and,  as  soon  as  1  can,  Avill  signify  it 
to  our  said  lord,  or  to  some  other,  by  whom  it  may  come  to 
his  knowledge.  The  rules  of  tho  Holy  Fathers,  the  apostolic 
decrees,  ordinances,  or  disposals,  reservations,  provisions,  and 
mandates,  I  will  observe  with  all  my  might,  and  cause  to  be 

12 


178  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

observed  b}*  others.  Heretics,  schismatics,  and  rebels  to  onr 
said  lord,  or  his  aforesaid  successors,  I  will  to  the  utmost  of 
my  power  persecute  and  oppose.  I  will  come  to  a  council  when 
I  am  called,  unless  I  be  hindered  by  a  canonical  impediment. 
I  will  by  myself,  in  person,  visit  the  threshold  of  the  apostles 
every  three  years ;  and  give  an  account,  to  our  lord  and  his 
aforesaid  successors,  of  all  1113*  pastoral  office,  and  of  all  things 
any  wise  belonging  to  the  state  of  my  Church,  to  the  discipline 
of  my  clergy  and  people,  and,  lastly,  to  the  salvation  of  souls 
committed  to  my  trust;  and  will,  in  like  manner,  humbly  re- 
ceive and  diligently  execute  the  apostolic  commands.  And  if 
I  be  detained  b}*  a  lawful  impediment.  I  will  perform  all  the 
things  aforesaid  by  a  certain  messenger  hereto  specially  cm- 
powered,  a  member  of  my  chapter,  or  some  other  in  ecclesias- 
tical dignity,  or  else  having  a  parsonage;  or,  in  default  of 
these,  by  a  priest  of  the  diocese;  or,  in  default  of  one  of  the 
clergy  (of  the  diocese),  by  some  other  secular  or  regular  priest 
of  approved  integrity  and  religion,  fully  instructed  in  all  things 
above  mentioned.  And  such  impediment  I  will  make  out,  by 
lawful  proofs,  to  be  transmitted  by  the  aforesaid  messenger,  to 
the  cardinal  proponent  of  the  holy  Eoman  Church,  in  the  con- 
gregation of  the  sacred  council.  The  possessions  belonging  to 
my  table  I  will  neither  sell  nor  give  away,  nor  mortgage,  nor 
grant  anew  in  fee,  nor  any  wise  alienate — no,  not  even  with 
the  consent  of  the  chapter  of  my  Church — without  consulting 
the  Eoman  Pontiff.  And  if  I  shall  make  any  alienation,  I  will 
thereby  incur  the  penalties  contained  in  a  certain  Ponstitution 
put  forth  about  this  matter. 

"  So  help  me  God  and  these  holy  Gospels  of  God." 

A  large  portion  of  the  Popish  priests  in  this  country 
are  from  Maynooth  College,  in  Ireland.  The  following  is 
the  oath  taken  by  them  on  being  admitted  to  the  order 
of  priests : 

ROMISH  PRIEST'S   OATH. 

"I,  A.  B.,  do  acknowledge  the  ecclesiastical  power  of  his 
holiness  and  the  mother  Church  of  Rome,  as  the  chief  head  and 
matron  above  all  pretended  Churches  throughout  the  whole 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  179 

earth ;  and  that  my  zeal  shall  be  for  St.  Peter  and  his  succes- 
sors, as  the  founder  of  the  true  and  ancient  Catholic  faith, 
against  all  heretical  kings,  princes,  states,  or  powers  repugnant 
unto  the  same;  and  although  I,  A.  B.,  may  follow,  in  case  of 
persecution,  or  otherwise  to  be  heretic-ally  despised,  yet  in  soul 
and  conscience  I  shall  hold,  aid,  and  succor  the  mother  Church 
of  Eome,  as  the  true,  ancient,  and  apostolic  Church  ;  I,  A.  B., 
further  do  declare  not  to  act  or  control  any  matter  or  thing 
prejudicial  unto  her,  to  her  sacred  orders,  doctrines,  tenets,  or 
commands,  without  leave  of  its  supreme  power  or  its  authority, 
under  her  appointed,  or  to  be  appointed ;  and,  being  so  per- 
mitted, then  to  act,  and  further  her  interests  more  than  my 
own  earthly  good  and  earthly  pleasure,  as  she  and  her  head,  his 
holiness,  and  his  successors,  have,  or  ought  to  have,  the  su- 
premacy over  all  kings,  princes,  estates,  or  powers  whatsoever, 
either  to  deprive  them  of  their  crowns,  scepters,  powers,  priv- 
ileges, realms,  countries,  or  governments,  or  to  set  up  others 
in  lieu  thereof,  they  dissenting  from  the  mother  Church  and 
her  commands." 

Many  Jesuits  are  in  this  country,  and  their  number 
is  rapidly  multiplying.  The  following  is  the  oath  they 
take  on  joining  the  order  : 

THE  JESUIT'S  OATH. 

"  I,  A.  B.,  now  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  the  blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  the  blessed  Michael  the  Archangel,  the  blessed 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  the  holy  apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 
and  all  the  saints  and  sacred  host  of  heaven,  and  to  you,  my 
ghostly  father,  do  declare  from  my  heart,  without  mental  reser- 
vation, that  his  holiness,  Pope ,  is  Christ's  vicar-general,  and 

is  the  true  and  only  head  of  the  catholic  or  universal  Church 
throughout  the  earth  ;  and  that,  by  the  virtue  of  the  keys  of 
binding  and  loosing,  given  to  his  holiness  by  my  Savior  Jesus 
Christ,  he  hath  power  to  depose  heretical  kings,  princes,  states, 
commonwealths,  and  governments,  all  being  illegal  without  his 
sacred  confirmation,  and  that  they  may  safely  be  destroyed: 
therefore,  to  the  utmost  of  my  power,  I  shall  and  will  defend 
this  doctrine,  and  his  holiness's  rights  and  customs,  against  all 


180  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

usurpers  of  the  heretical  (or  Protestant)  authority  whatsoever; 
especially  against  the  now  pretended  authority  and  Church  of 
England,  and  all  adherents,  in  regard  that  they  and  she  he 
usurpal  and  heretical,  opposing  the  sacred  motlier  Church  of 
Rome.  I  do  renounce  and  disown  any  allegiance  as  due  to  any 
heretical  king,  prince,  or  state,  named  Protestants,  or  obedience 
to  any  of  their  inferior  magistrates  or  officers.  I  do  further 
declare,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  England,  the  Cal- 
vinists,  Huguenots,  and  of  others  of  the  name  Protestants,  to 
be  damnable,  and  they  themselves  are  damned,  and  to  be 
damned,  that  will  not  forsake  the  same.  I  do  further  declare, 
that  I  will  help,  assist,  and  advise  all  or  any  of  his  holi  ness's 
agents,  in  any  place  wherever  I  shall  be  in  England,  Scotland, 
and  Ireland,  or  in  any  other  territory  or  kingdom  I  shall  come 
to,  and  do  my  utmost  to  extirpate  the  heretical  Protestant's 
doctrine,  and  to  destroy  all  their  pretended  powers,  regal  or 
otherwise.  I  do  further  promise  and  declare,  that  notwith- 
standing I  am  dispensed  with,  to  assume  any  religion  heretical, 
for  the  propagating  of  the  mother  Church's  interest,  to  keep 
secret  and  private  all  her  agents'  counsels,  from  time  to  time,  as 
they  intrust  me,  and  not  to  divulge,  directly  or  indirectly,  by 
word,  writing,  or  circumstance  whatsoever,  but  to  execute  all 
that  shall  be  proposed,  given  in  charge,  or  discovered  unto  me, 
by  you,  my  ghostly  father,  or  any  of  this  sacred  convent.  All 
which,  I,  A.  B.,  do  swear  by  the  blessed  Trinity,  and  blessed 
Sacrament,  which  1  am  now  to  receive,  to  perform,  and  on  my 
part  to  keep  inviolably ;  and  do  call  all  the-  heavenly  and  glo- 
rious host  of  heaven  to  witness  these  my  real  intentions  to  keep 
this  my  oath.  In  testimony  hereof  I  take  this  most  holy  and 
blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist;  and  witness  the  same  fur- 
ther with  my  hand  and  seal,  in  the  face  of  this  holy  convent, 
this day  of ,  An.  Dom."  etc. 

OATH  OF  A  LAYMAN. 
COMMONLY  CALLED  THE  CREED  OP  POPE  PIUS  IV. 

"I,  "N.  N.,  with  a  firm  faith,  believe  and  profess  all  and  every 
one  of  those  things  whicli  are  contained  in  that  creed  which 
the  holy  Roman  Church  maketh  use  of.  to-wit:  I  believe  in 
one  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  of 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  181 

all  things  visible  and  invisible:  and  in  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  only-begotten  Son  of  God.  born  of  the  Father  before  all 
ages;  God  of  God;  Light  of  light;  true  God  of  the  true  God; 
begotten,  not  made;  consubstantial  with  the  Father,  by  whom 
all  things  were  made.  Who  for  us  men,  and  for  our  salvation, 
came  down  from  heaven,  and  was  incarnate  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  was  made  man.  He  was  crucified 
also  for  us  under  Pontius  Pilate,  suffered,  and  was  buried.  And 
the  third  day  lie  rose  again,  according  (o  the  Scriptures;  ho 
ascended  into  heaven,  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father, 
and  shall  come  again  with  glory  to  judge  the  living  and  the 
dead;  of  whose  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end.  I  believe  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Lord  and  the  life-giver,  who  proccedelh 
from  the  Father  and  the  Son  :  who,  together  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  is  adored  and  glorified ;  who  spake  by  the 
prophets.  And  in  one  holy,  Catholic,  and  Apostolic  Church. 
I  confess  one  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins;  and  1  look 
for  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  the  life  of  the  world  to 
come.  Amen.  % 

"I  most  steadfastly  admit  and  embrace  the  apostolical  and 
ecclesiastical  Traditions,  and  all  other  observances  and  consti- 
tutions of  the  same  Church. 

"I  also  admit  the  Holy  Scriptures,  according  to  that  sense 
which  our  holy  mother  the  Church  hath  held  and  doth  hold, 
to  whom  it  belongeth  to  judge  of  the  true  sense  and  interpre- 
tation of  the  Scriptures;  neither  will  I  ever  take  and  interpret 
them  otherwise  than  according  to  the  unanimous  consent  of 
the  Fathers. 

"  I  also  profess  that  there  are  truly  and  properly  Seven 
Sacraments  of  the  new  law,  instituted  by  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord,  and  necessary  for  the  salvation  of  mankind,  though  not 
all  for  every  one,  to-wit:  Baptism,  Confirmation,  the  Eucharist, 
Penance,  Extreme  Unction,  Orders,  and  Matrimony;  and  that 
they  confer  grace:  and  that,  of  these,  Baptism,  Confirmation, 
and  Orders  can  not  be  repeated  without  sacrilege.  I  also  re- 
ceive and  admit  the  received  and  approved  ceremonies  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  used  in  the  solemn  administration  of  the 
aforesaid  Sacraments. 

"I  embrace   and  receive  all  and  every  one  of  the  things 


182  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Avhich  have  been  defined  and  declared  in  the  holy  Council  of 
Trent,  concerning  original  sin  and  justification. 

"  I  profess,  likewise,  that  in  the  Mass  there  is  offered  to  God  a 
true, proper,  and  propitiatory  sacrifice/or  tlie  living  and  the  dead. 
And  that  in  the  most  holy  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  there 
is  truly,  really,  and  substantially  the  Body  and  Blood,  together 
with  the  Soul  and  Divinity,  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  that 
there  is  made  a  conversion  of  the  whole  substance  of  the  bread 
into  the  Body,  and  of  the  whole  substance  of  the  wine  into  the 
Blood;  which  conversion  the  Catholic  Church  calleth  Transub- 
stantiation.  I  also  confess  that  under  either  kind  alone  Christ 
is  received  whole  and  entire,  and  a  true  Sacrament. 

"I  constantly  hold  that  there  is  a  Purgatory,  and  that  the 
souls  therein  detained  are  helped  by  the  suffrages  of  the 
faithful. 

"Likewise,  that  the  saints  reigning  together  with  Christ 
are  to  be  honored  and  invocated,  and  that  they  offer  primers 
to  God  for  us,  and  that  their  relics  are  to  be  had  in  veneration. 

"J.  most  firmly  assert  that  the  images  of  Christ,  of  the 
Mother  of  God  ever  Virgin,  and  also  of  other  saints,  ought  to 
bo  had  and  retained,  and  that  due  honor  and  veneration  are  to 
bo  given  them. 

"I  also  affirm  that  the  power  of  Indulgences  was  left  by 
Christ  i-n  the  Church,  and  that  the  use  of  them  is  most  whole- 
some to  Christian  people. 

"I  acknowledge  the  Holy,  Catholic,  Apostolic,  Roman 
Church  for  the  mother  and  mistress  of  all  Churches;  and  I 
promise  true  obedience  to  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  successor  of  St. 
Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  and  Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"I  likewise  undoubtedly  receive  and  profess  all  other  things 
delivered,  defined,  and  declared  by  the  sacred  canons  and  Gen- 
eral Councils,  and  particularly  by  the  holy  Council  of  Trent. 
And  I  condemn,  reject,  and  anathematize  all  things  contrary 
thereto,  and  all  heresies  which  the  Church  hath  condemned, 
rejected,  and  anathematized. 

'•  I,  N.  N.,  do  at  this  present  freely  profess  and  sincerely  hold 
this  true  Catholic  faith,  out  of  which  no  one  can  be  saved: 
and  I  promise  most  constantly  to  retain  and  confess  the  same 
entire  and  inviolate,  by  God's  assistance,  to  the  end  af  my  life.'' 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  183 

With  such  fearful  obligations  binding  their  con- 
sciences, how  is  it  possible  for  any  true  Papist  to  be  a 
true  and  loyal  citizen  of  this  Republic? 

Commencing  with  the  blasphemous  assumption  of 
the  Pope's  infallibility,  and  consequent  temporal  suprem- 
acy, we  have  a  consecutive  chain  of  oaths,  binding 
bishops,  priests,  Jesuits,  and  the  laity,  in  obedience  to 
the  Pope,  and  the  confessional  to  enforce  the  obligation, 
under  penalty  of  eternal  perdition  if  they  fail  to  comply 
with  the  dictations  of  the  Pope. 

The  confessional  furnishes  every  facility  to  detect 
and  punish  the  slightest  delinquency  on  the  part  of  any 
member  of  the  Church. 

This  system  of  Popery  is  worse  than  a  military  des- 
potism. The  commander-in-chief  of  an  army  might 
court-martial  and  shoot  to  death  an  insubordinate  officer 
or  soldier,  and  there  his  power  would  end.  Not  so  with 
the  Pope  of  Rome.  He  claims  the  power,  not  only  to 
put  men  to  death,  but  to  consign  to  endless  perdi- 
tion— all  who  reject  his  authority.  Romanists  believing 
he  is  possessed  of  such  power,  dare  not  disobey  him. 
And  if  the  Pope  of  Rome  to-day  were  to  declare  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  adverse  to  the  inter- 
ests of  Popery,  every  orthodox  Papist  in  the  world 
would  accept  the  declaration  and  unite  with  the  Pope  to 
destroy  the  Constitution.  The  Pope's  curse  of  excom- 
munication absolves  subjects  from  their  oaths  of  alle- 
giance or  fealty.  If  Pope  Pius  should  issue  an  order  to 
his  bishops  in  America  to  control  the  Roman  vote  for 


184  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

any  given  sectarian  purpose,  or  to  destroy  our  system 
of  free  schools,  every  priest  and  layman  would  be  under 
obligation  to  obey  their  ecclesiastical  superiors. 

If  the  poor  old  imbecile  at  Rome  should  determine 
to  re-enact  the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  the  Gun- 
powder Conspiracy,  or  the  scene  of  the  invincible  Ar- 
mada, it  would  only  be  requisite  to  issue  his  orders, 
and  his  loyal  subjects  would  be  bound  to  obey  him. 

The  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Jesuits,  Fenians,  Hi- 
bernians, Knights  of  St.  Patrick,  and  other  societies, 
many  of  whom  are  thoroughly  armed,  and  under  the 
command  of  the  clergy,  would  spring  to  arms  at  the  tap 
of  a  drum. 

"Where  is  the  necessity  for  the  secret,  oath-bound  po- 
litical and  military  societies  of  Papists  in  our  midsts 
under  clerical  dictators?  Where  is  the  necessity  for 
armed  companies  of  Romanists  in  our  large  cities,  known 
nominally  as  "home  guards?"  These  military  organiza- 
tions hold  their  secret  meetings,  which,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  public  boasts  and  threats,  are  significant,  and 
should  not  be  lightly  esteemed  by  American  patriots. 
Romanists  in  high  position  have  boasted  of  their  plans 
and  purposes. 

A  Roman  Catholic  Council  which  met  in  Baltimore 
a  few  years  since,  issued  a  circular  which  contains  the 
following  language : 

"God  has  given  us  a  work  to  do  here  in  this  now  world, 
which,  with  boundless  energ3T,  is  just  springing  into  the  full  ex- 
pansion of  its  strength  and  resources.  The  mission  of  Cath- 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  185 

olics  is  to  convert  the  world.  Our  special  and  instant  mission  is 
to  convert  our  country !  If  we  do  not  succeed,  we  shall  bo 
scarcely  in  our  graves  when  the  deluge  of  impiety  will  sweep 
over  the  land,  destroying  both  the  Church  and  the  State.  In 
truth,  they  do  not  read  the  times  nor  the  country  aright,  who 
dream  that  there  is  any  middle  course  to  be  pursued.  "VVe  must 
give  religion  to  our  political  liberties,  or  our  liberties,  like  an 
unregulated  steam-engine,  will  shatter  and  dash  in  pieces,  not 
itself  alone,  but  us  also.  The  United  States  must  become  a 
Catholic  country,  or  it  will  first  of  all  lose  the  vague  sense  of 
religiousness  that  still  checks  its  madness;  then  rush  into  po- 
litical radicalism  and  democratic  robbery." 

Brownson,  the  champion  of  the  Papacy,  indorsed 
by  twenty-four  bishops,  says : 

"The  Church  may  be  assailed — will  be  assailed;  but  we 
know  it  is  founded  on  a  rock;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it.  It  is  now  firmly  established  in  this  country, 
and  persecution  will  but  cause  it  to  thrive.  Our  countrymen 
may  be  grieved  that  it  is  so ;  but  it  it  useless  for  them  to  kick 
against  the  decrees  of  Almighty  God.  They  have  had  an  open 
field  and  lair  play  for  Protestantism.  Here  Protestantism  has 
had  free  scope;  has  reigned  without  a  rival,  and  proved  what 
she  could  do,  and  that  her  best  is  evil;  for  the  very  good  she 
boasts  is  not  hers.  A  new  day  is  dawning  on  this  chosen  land; 
a  new  chapter  is  about  to  open  in  our  history,  arid  the  Church 
to  assume  her  rightful  position  and  influence.  Ours  shall  yet 
become  consecrated  ground;  and  here  the  kingdom  of  God's 
dear  Son  shall  be  established.  Our  hills  and  valleys  shall  yet 
echo  to  the  convent  bell.  No  matter  who  writes,  who  declaims, 
who  intrigues,  who  is  alarmed,  or  what  leagues  are  formed, 
this  is  to  be  a  Catholic  county;  and  from  Maine  to  Georgia, 
from  the  broad  Atlantic  to  the  broader  Pacific,  the  clean  sacri- 
fice is  to  be  offered -daily  for  the  quick  and  the  dead." 

These  words  are  not  original  with  Brownson ;  they 
are  but  an  echo  of  the  voice  of  the  Roman  Church,  and 
they  clearly  indicate  the  plans  and  purposes  of  that  in- 


186  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

tolerant  sect.  Our  system  of  religion  and  government 
is  pronounced  a  failure,  and  Romanism  is  urged  upon  us 
as  our  only  refuge  from  ruin. 

The  Romish  Church  has,  at  this  moment,  three 
powerful  organizations  at  work  in  our  midst  to  subvert 
the  institutions  of  this  country  and  establish  Popery  on 
the  ruins  thereof.  THE  PROPAGANDA  or  society  for  the 
propagation  of  the  Romish  faith.  It  was  organized  with 
special  reference  to  the  establishment  of  Romanism  in 
America.  Its  heads  are  at  Paris,  Lyons,  and  Venice. 
It  has  the  special  charge  of  convents  and  hospitals, 
largely  controlled  by  female  Jesuits,  who  are  experts  in 
proselyting,  and  these  institutions  are  established  for 
that  purpose.  A  thorough  education  would  thwart  their 
purposes.  Their  object  is  a  superficial  literary,  but  a 
thorough  Roman  education.  In  a  word,  their  chief  busi- 
ness is  to  proselyte  the  daughters  of  wealthy  or  influen- 
tial Protestants.  A  thorough  literary  American  educa- 
tion is  not  desired.  Independent,  intelligent  thought 
would  blast  their  hopes.  Special  attention  is  given  to 
ornamental  culture,  especially  needle-work,  embroidery, 
and  a  smattering  knowledge  of  painting,  music,  French, 
Latin,  or  something  to  catch  the  eye  or  ear  of  superficial 
Protestants. 

In  brief,  their  whole  energies  are  directed  to  prose- 
lyte Protestant  daughters  to  Romanism.  If  a  young 
lady  is  wealthy  they  urge  her  by  all  means  take  the  veil 
and  become  a  nun,  and  that  moment  all  her  property  drops 
quietly  into  the  coffers  of  the  Church.  The  vows  of 


PAPA  L  CONSP1RA  CY  AIDED.  187 

poverty  and  celibacy  seal  her  destiny,  and  a  few  years 
will  probably  consign  her  to  a  premature  grave. 

If  she  will  not  take  the  veil,  then  compass  sea  and 
land  to  marry  her  to  a  Papist,  and  thus  control  her 
money ;  but  if  she  persists  in  marrying  a  Protestant, 
then  rigorously  apply  the  discipline  and  dogma  of  the 
Church — show  her  that  Bishop  Purcell  says : 

"In  the  first  place,  the  marriage  of  a  Catholic  with  an  un- 
baptized  person,  unless  a  dispensation  be  previously  obtained, 
is  null  and  void  and  illicit  and  criminal." 

"The  subject  of  mixed   marriages,  that  is  the  marriages  of 

Catholics  with  Protestants,  is  one  which  \ve  can  not  here  omit, 

or  delegate  "to  another.     It  is  a  subject  of  paramount  impor- 

^tance   to   the   purity   of  the   Catholic   faith   and  the  peace  of 

families." 

"The  only  occasion  when  the  Catholic  Church  yields  her  re- 
luctant consent  to  a  mixed  marriage  is,  when  the  Protestant 
part}'  solemnly  promises  not  to  interfere  wilh  the  faith  of  the 
Catholic  party,  and  to  suffer  the  offspring,  that  may  result  from 
the  union,  both  male  and  female,  to  be  baptized  and  educated 
in  the  Catholic  faith." 

Impress  upon  her  mind  that  "she  can  not  expect  to 
be  happy  here  with  one  from  whom  she  must  forever  be 
separated  hereafter." 

Impress  upon  her  mind  the  fact  that  Pope  Pius  VII, 
in  1808,  said  that  "The  marriage  of  Protestants  is  not 
valid ;  that  their  wives  are  concubines  and  their  chil- 
dren are  bastards,  and  that  Catholics  themselves  are  not 
lawfully  married  except  in  accordance  with  the  ritual 
of  the  Church."  And  if  all  these  things  fail,  refer  her 
to  the  fact  that  if  she  marries  a  Protestant,  she  can  not 


188  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

be  married  by  a  priest,  unless  she  and  her  betrothed 
will  first  solemnly  swear  to  have  their  children  baptized 
and  raised  in  the  Roman  Church,  and  that  she  must  bind 
herself  to  do  all  she  can  to  proselyte  her  husband  to  the 
Roman  faith,  and  that  if  they  fail  to  comply  with  these 
obligations  they  will  perjure  themselves. 

And  as  authority  for  this  obligation,  refer  her  to 
"Plain  Talk  about  Protestantism  of  To-day,"  by  Patrick 
Donohoe,  of  Boston,  which  is  being  sold  on  both  conti- 
nents with  the  approbation  of  bishops.  The  instruc- 
tions are  as  follows : 

"MIXED  MARRIAGES. 

""When  one  party  is  Catholic  and  the  other  is  not,  the  mar- 
riage is  called  mixed. 

"  The  Church  grieves  at  such  marriages.  They  exhibit  great 
indifference  in  matters  of  religion,  and  often  entail  the  non- 
Catholic  training  of  the  offspring.  For  my  part,  I  can  not 
understand  how  a  Christian,  a  Catholic,  can  be  so  forgetful  of 
objects  divine,  as  to  choose  for  a  companion  in  life  a  heretical 
woman,  to  be  the  mother  of  his  children,  the  directress  of  his 
domestic  life. 

"The  Church  leaves  no  means  untried  to  make  us  feel  how 
repugnant  these  marriages  are  to  her.  She  refuses  them  the 
enhancing  majesty  of  her  wedding  ritual,  and  positively  for- 
bids her  ministers  to  take  any  other  part  in  them  but  that  of 
a  witness.  Hence  such  marriages  are  contracted  outside  the 
Church,  in  the  vestry, — no  blessing,  no  prayer,  no  hoi}'  water, 
no  surplice,  no  stole.  Moreover,  the  betrothed,  on  both  sides, 
must  bind  themselves,  beforehand,  and  under  a,  solemn  oath, 
to  raise  in  the  Catholic  Church  all  the  children  that  may  issue 
from  their  marriage,  both  boys  and  girls.  Unless  this  oath  is 
taken,  the  Church  will  not  permit  a  mixed  marriage  to  be  con- 
tracted. 

"When  you  then  meet  the  child  of  a  mixed  marriage  raised 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  189 

in  Protestantism,  know  that  the   parents  have  perjured  them- 
selves. 

"And  were  oven  all  conditions  requisite  for  such  deplorable 
unions  fulfilled,  and  the  matrimonial  bond  signed  before  a 
priest,  let  it  be  known  that  the  Catholic  party  is  forbidden  to 
go  before  a  Protestant  parson.  It  would  be  a  participation 
with  heretics  in  sacred  things,  and  a  culpable  allowance  in 
favor  of  heresy." 

"The  Catholic  party  must  also  promise  to  do  every  thing, 
by  word  and  example,  to  bring  about  the  conversion  of  the 
non-Calholic." 

"Once  married  in  the  Catholic  Church,  what  do  you  need  at 
the  meeting-house?  Not  the  matrimonial  bond,  for  you  are 
already  joined  in  it.  •  If  you  only  go  for  the  purpose  of  hear- 
ing some  fine  passages  of  the  Bible  relating  to  matrimony,  it 
is  not  worth  the  scandal  you  give,  and  you  can  as  well  read 
them  at  home. 

"Mixed  marriages  are  a  token  of  weakened  faith.  No 
Christian  will  ever  stoop  to  such  a  religious  incongruity,  unless 
he  be  lost  to  all  sentiments  of  Catholic  dignity.  (Pp.  147, 148.) 

Thus,  by  this  one  stroke  of  policy,  if  they  ever 
have  a  family,  all  are  pledged  to  Popery  before  they  are 
born,  and  the  husband  must  come  in  with  the  rest,  or 
be  hen-pecked,  through  the  confessional,  during  life. 

This  may  be  regarded  as  a  slow  process  of  proselyt- 
ing. Be  it  so;  it  is  terribly  sure.  If  there  be  mothers 
in  the  future,  the  present  daughters  are  prospectively 
the  future  mothers.  Hence  the  importance  of  proselyt- 
ing them,  in  order  to  control  the  rising  and  future  gen- 
erations. Ignore  the  fact  as  we  may,  it  is  nevertheless 
true  that  mothers  shape  the  religious  character  of  chil- 
dren and  youth.  Probably  not  one  father  in  a  thousand 
ever  taught  a  child  the  Lord's  Prayer. 


190  A  URfCULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

The  mother  controls  the  infant  mind.  Impressions 
made  by  her  are  seldom  effaced;  hence  the  fearful  re- 
sponsibility of  training  the  infant  mind  in  error. 

"  'T  is  education  forms  the  common  mind; 
Just  as  twig  is  bent  the  tree  's  inclined." 

Romanists  have  caught  this  Catalinean  idea,  and  they 
are  corrupting  the  youth,  in  order  to  control  the  nation. 
This  accounts  for  their  zeal  for  Roman  schools  and  con- 
vents in  this  country.  Nearly  three-fourths  of  the  people 
in  Italy  and  Spain  can  neither  read  nor  write,  and  other 
Papal  countries  present  similar  facts.  Hence,  this  pye- 
tended  zeal  for  education  is  not  for  a  thorough  literary 
education,  but  a  thorough  Roman  education,  in  subordi- 
nation to  the  sworn  enemies  of  American  liberty. 

The  appeals  to  Rome  for  aid  to  establish  schools  in 
America  indicate  their  purposes.  Bishop  David,  of 
Kentucky,  in  his  foreign  correspondence,  said : 

"Had  I  treasures  at  my  disposal,  I  would  multiply  colleges 
and  schools  for  girls  and  boys;  I  would  consolidate  all  these 
establishments,  by  annexing  to  them  lands  or  annual  rents;  I 
would  build  hospitals  and  public  houses;  in  a  word,  I  would 
compel  all  MY  KENTUCKIANS  to  admire  and  love  a  religion  so 
beneficent  and  generous,  and  perhaps  I  should  finish  by  converting 
them."  (Quarterly  Eegister,  vol.  2,  1830;  p.  194.) 

Again,  the  same  bishop  says: 

"In  twenty  jubilees,  wherein  I  have  presided,  more  than 
forty  Protestants  have  entered  the  Church  ;  a  great  number 
still  are  preparing  to  share  the  same  happiness;  and  1  have 
hardly  gone  over  the  half  of  Kentucky.  (Quarterly  Register, 
vol.  2,  1830  :  p.  197.) 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  191 

These  boasts  were  not  made  to  be  read  by  American 
Protestants,  but,  being  intercepted,  were  translated  by 
an  American,  and  sent  home  for  publication.  We  might 
multiply  evidence  on  this  subject,  but  for  the  present  a 
few  examples  may  suffice.  The  Tablet  has  an  article  on 
"Catholics  and  Public  Schools,"  which  may  shed  light 
on  this  subject,  when  taken  in  connection  with  the  fact 
that  every  country  is  ignorant  and  degraded  in  proportion 
to  the  unrestrained  teaching  and  influence  of  Rome. 

The  Tablet  says : 

"The  education  itself  is  the  business  of  the  spiritual  society 
alone,  and  not  of  secular  societj*.  The  instruction  of  children 
and  youth  is  included  in  the  sacrament  of  orders,  and  the 
State  usurps  the  functions  of  the  spiritual  society  when  it  turns 
educator.  The  secular  is  for  the  spiritual,  is  subordinated  to 
religion,  which  alone  has  authority  to  instruct  man  in  his 
secular  duties,  and  fit  him  for  the  end  for  which  his  Creator 
has  created  him.  The  organization  of  the  schools,  their  entire 
internal  arrangement  and  management,  the  choice  and  regula- 
tion of  studies,  and  the  selection,  appointment  and  dismissal  of 
teachers,  belong  exclusively  to  the  spiritual  authority." 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that  these  American  convents 
are  largely  patronized  by  Protestants,  and  could  not  be 
sustained  without  them.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of 
Romanists  are  growing  up  in  ignorance  and  sin,  while 
Romanists  are  compassing  sea  and  land  to  entice  the 
daughters  of  influential  and  wealthy  Protestants  into 
their  proselyting  schools. 

Again  we  say,  Protestants,  beware  of  convents  and 
Jesuit  schools !  They  are  aiding  in  a  great  conspiracy 
against  civil  and  religious  liberty.  The  Bible  says 


192  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

"children  shall  rise  up  against  their  parents  and  cause 
them  to  be  put  to  death ;"  and  there  is  no  other  influence 
on  earth  so  well  .adapted  to  cause  them  to  do  it  as  the 
instruction  and  influence  of  female  Jesuits  in  convents. 

The  society  known  as  the  "LEOPOLD  FOUNDATION" 
next  demands  attention.  It  is  also  aiding  in  the  great 
conspiracy  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
and  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

It  was  organized  in  1829,  and  its  history  is  briefly 
given.  Schlegle,  a  learned  lecturer,  delivered  a  series  of 
lectures  before  the  Austrian  Cabinet,  in  1828,  in  which 
he  endeavored  to  show  that  Romanism  and  monarchical 
governments  sympathized  with  and  mutually  sustained 
each  other,  and  that  Protestantism  and  a  democratic 
government  mutually  sustained  each  other.  He  endeav- 
ored to  show  that  the  Government  of  the  United  State 
was  the  "  hotbed  "  of  European  revolutions,  and  that  it 
must  be  destroyed,  or  the  crowned  heads  of  Europe 
would  fall. 

Pursuant  to  these  lectures,  it  is  said  that  the  Rev. 
Bishop  Reese,  at  that  time  Bishop  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
went  over  to  Austria,  in  1829,  and  drew  up  the  Consti- 
tution for  the  Leopold  Society;  that  the  Emperor  of 
Austria  became  President,  and  the  Secretary  of  Austria 
Secretary,  of  the  society;  that  the  Pope  of  Rome  blessed 
the  organization,  contributed  to  its  funds,  and  granted 
indulgences  to  all  who  contribute  to  it.  And,  since 
1829,  it  has  continued  to  send  funds  to  Jesuits  in 
America,  with  the  avowed  object  of  subverting  the 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  193 

Government  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  establish 
Popery. 

When  we  mention  Jesuit,  we  pronounce  the  syn- 
onym of  all  villainy.  There  is  not  a  law  of  God  or  man 
that  may  not,  consistent  with  his  creed,  be  violated 
with  impunity,  for  the  good  of  the  Church.  And  there 
is  not  a  Government  in  the  world,  of  any  distinction, 
except  the  United  States,  from  which  Jesuits  have  not 
been  expelled,  or  in  which  they  have  not  been  suppressed, 
for  treason  against  Church  and  State.  They  have  re- 
cently been  expelled  from  Italy,  Spain,  and  Mexico,  and 
suppressed  in  Germany. 

They  are  concentrating  in  North  America,  and  the 
Boston  Pilot  boasts  that  they  have  more  Jesuits  in  Amer- 
ica than  in  any  portion  of  Europe,  in  proportion  to  the 
Roman  Catholic  population;  and,  without  the  spirit  of 
inspiration,  we  venture  an  opinion  that  we  will  never 
have  permanent  peace  in  the  United  States  till  this 
treasonable  organization  is  expelled  or  disbanded. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that,  at  the  present  time,  Roman- 
ists are  making  unprecedented  efforts  to  put  their  patrons 
and  friends  into  position  and  power. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  the  two  men  of  the  army 
next  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  are  under 
Roman  influence — one,  if  not  both,  held  as  members  of 
the  Church. 

It  is  also  a  singular  fact  that,  during  the  late  troubles 
of  our  country,  many  of  the  officers  of  the  army  were 
Papists;  and,  when  they  marched  through  the  South, 

13 


194  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Protestant  Church  property  was  often  damaged  or 
destroyed. 

There  is  evidently  some  secret  Jesuit  influence  con- 
trolling the  appointing  power.  And  if  those  in  authority 
are  not  apprised  of  this,  it  is  on  that  account  the  more  to 
be  deprecated.  Politicians  arid  men  of  the  world  are  so 
much  engrossed  with  business  that  they  lose  sight  of 
these  matters,  and  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  for  Jesuit 
influence  to  be  imperceptibly  brought  to  bear  at  Wash- 
ington City,  to  stab  to  the  heart  the  liberties  of  this 
nation.  At  a  time  like  this,  it  certainly  becomes  every 
Christian  and  patriot  to  look  well  to  these  matters,  and  the 
ministers  of  Jesus  Christ  to  lift  a  warning  voice  against 
the  encroachments  of  the  Papacy. 

The  LONDON  EMIGRANT  SOCIETY  was  organized  with 
direct  reference  to  the  propagation  of  Popery  in  the 
United  States.  It  is  reported  to  have  been  organized  by 
Roman  Catholic  bankers,  and  other  men  of  wealth  in 
London.  Its  branches  extend  to  the  different  parts  of 
Europe.  They  mapped  the  North-western  States  and 
Canada  as  their  first  field,  and  more  recently  have 
included  the  Southern  States. 

In  their  "Emigrant's  Guide,"  which  specifies  their 
object  and  contains  their  map,  we  have  the  following 
territory:  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
the  eastern  borders  of  Minnesota,  Iowa,  and  Missouri, 
together  with  Canada  West.  This  was  their  first  field. 

The  substance  of  their  plan  was: 

1.  To  send  the  surplus  population  of  Europe;  that  is, 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  195 

the  pauper  and  criminal  population,  who  are  a  tax  and  a 
burden  to  them  there. 

2.  To  do  it  such  a  way  as  to  create  a  demand  for 
articles  of  British  manufacture. 

3.  To  establish  Romanism  in  the  North-west. 
Every  Papist  aided  by  that  society  is  required  to 

obligate  himself  or  herself  to  come  to  the  parish  of  a 
priest,  or  in  charge  of  a  priest,  and  labor  for  three  years 
on  a  bare  subsistence,  and,  through  the  authorized  col- 
lector, send  the  proceeds  of  their  labor  to  the  society. 

Thus,  American  gold  goes  to  Europe,  and  we  get  in 
exchange  rags,  infinitely  worse  ragged  paupers,  and  crim- 
inals, to  fill  poor-houses  and  prisons,  and  tramp  from  door 
to  door,  and  from  city  to  city,  an  intolerable  nuisance. 
States,  cities,  counties,  towns,  and  individuals  are  taxed 
to  support  Roman  Catholic  thieves  and  paupers,  system- 
atically imported  by  the  minions  of  the  Pope. 

And  it  is  not  enough  to  tax  the  country  on  account 
of  their  poverty  and  crime;  but,  to  add  insult  to  injury, 
the  Roman  clergy  are  using  them  against  our  system  of 
free  schools,  against  virtue,  morality,  and  religion.  They 
are  the  dupes  of  Popery,  the  slaves  of  the  clergy,  and 
the  pliant  victims  of  partisan  demagogues.  They  are 
now  being  colonized  throughout  the  United  States,  and 
their  influence  is  worse  than  pestilence  in  any  community. 
Life  and  property  are  no  longer  secure  where  they  have 
the  ascendancy. 

This  accounts  for  the  fact  that  all  Northern  and 
Western  cities  are  overrun  with  paupers  and  criminals, 


196  A  URICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

and  often  the  laws  of  God  and  man  are  set  at  defiance 
by  brutish  mobs. 

This  also  accounts  for  the  fact  that  unscrupulous 
demagogues  often  occupy  seats  in  legislative  and  congres- 
sional halls,  when  honest  men  and  men  qualified  for  the 
position,  are  utterly  ignored. 

This  accounts  for  the  fact  that  many  of  our  large 
cities  are  governed  by  ignorant  Papists,  the  Sabbath  laws 
are  trampled  to  the  dust,  and  the  accursed  liquor-traffic 
is  on  the  increase. 

This  is  what  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  a  Romanist, 
said  was  the  plan  to  destroy  the  liberties  of  this  country. 
He  was  once  Governor  of  the  Canadas,  and,  in  a  speech 
at  Montreal,  he  is  reported  as  saying: 

"The  Government  of  the  United  States  ought  not  to  stand, 
and  it  will  not  stand.  But  it  will  be  destroyed  by  subversion, 
and  not  by  conquest.  The  plan  is  this :  to  send  over  the  sur- 
plus [pauper]  population  of  Europe.  They  will  go  over  with 
foreign  views  and  feelings,  and  will  form  a  heterogeneous  mass, 
and  in  course  of  time  will  be  prepared  to  rise  and  subvert  the 
Government." 

"  The  Church  of  Rome  has  a  design  upon  that  country. 
Popery  will  in  time  be  the  established  religion,  and  will  aid  in 
the  destruction  of  that  Republic.  I  have  conversed  with  many 
of  the  sovereigns  and  princes  of  Europe,  and  they  have  unan- 
imously expressed  their  opinion  relative  to  the  Government  of 
the  United  States,  and  their  determination  to  subvert  it." 

Judge  Haliburton,  a  Roman  Catholic  gentleman,  in  a 
pamphlet,  asserts  that 

"All  America  will  be  a  Catholic  country.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Church  bids  fair  to  rise  to  importance  in  America. 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  197 

They  gain  constantly.  They  gain  more  by  emigration,  more 
by  natural  increase  in  proportion  to  their  numbers,  more  by 
intermarriages,  adoptions,  and  conversions,  than  Protestants. 
With  their  exclusive  views  of  salvation  and  peculiar  tenets,  as 
soon  as  they  have  a  majority,  this  becomes  a  Catholic  country, 
•with  a  Catholic  government,  with  the  Catholic  religion  estab- 
lished by  law.  Is  this  a  great  change?  A  greater  change  has 
taken  place  among  the  British,  the  Modes  and  the  Persians  of 
Europe,  the  nolumus  leges  mutari  people." 

Again,  he  says,  with  emphasis,  indicated  by  capitals : 

"The  co-opei'ation  of  other  European  nations  in  promoting 
the  objects  of  the  society  is  most  desirable,  particularly  those 
possessing  a  redundant  population ;  that  is,  Roman  Catholic, 
etc.  The  western  districts  may  be  said  to  have  a  particular 
claim  on  the  patronage  of  France,  as  it  was  under  their  former 
sovereignty  that  their  vast  resources,  and  facility  of  connection 
between  the  Northern  Lakes  and  the  first  navigable  tributaries 
of  the  Mississippi,  were  discovered  by  those  enterprising  and 
amiable  French  Jesuit  Missionaries,  Hennepin  and  La  Salle. 
As  to  Belgium  and  Germany,  it  is  almost  needless  to'  call  on 
them  for  greater  support  than  is  already  furnished  by  the  mass 
of  the  Catholic  population  daily  flowing  from  those  kingdoms 
into  the  fertile  West." 

Bishop  England,  late  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
who,  it  is  understood,  was  the  Inquisitor-General  of  the 
Jesuits,  on  his  return  from  Europe,  in  an  address  to  his 

diocese,  said : 

"  In  Paris,  and  at  Lyons,  I  have  conversed  with  those  ex- 
cellent men  who  manage  the  affairs  of  the  association  for 
propagating  the  faith.  I  have  also  had  opportunities  of  com- 
munication with  some  of  the  council  which  administers  the 
Austrian  Association.  The  Propaganda  in  Rome  has  this  year 
contributed  to  our  extraordinary  expenditure,  as  has  the  holy 
father  himself." 


198  A  UEICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

An  editor  of  a  Catholic  journal  in  Europe,  says,  when 
speaking  of  these  missions  at  the  West: 

"We  must  make  baste — the  moments  are  precious.  America 
may  one  day  become  tbe  center  of  civilization,  and  sball  truth 
or  error  there  establish  its  empire?  If  the  Protestants  are 
before  us,  it  will  be  difficult  to  destroy  their  influence." 

Their  object  is  to  gain  a  balance  of  political  power, 
and  establish  Romanism  by  law.  Mr.  Brownson,  the 
champion  of  Romanism,  admits  this  fact,  and  after 
stating  that  the  Catholic  Church  has  a  design  upon  this 
country — that  it  is  their  purpose  to  possess  this  coun- 
try— that  they  are  aided  in  this  work  by  all  the  Catholic 
prelsttes  and  priests,  he  makes  the  following  significant 
declaration : 

"Heretofore  we  have  taken  our  politics  from  one  or  another 
of  the  parties  which  divide  the  country,  and  have  suffered  the 
enemies  of  our  religion  to  impose  their  political  doctrines  upon 
us;  but  it  is  time  for  us  to  begin  to  teach  the  country  itself 
those  moral  and  political  doctrines  which  flow  from  the  teach- 
ings of  our  own  Church.  We  are  at  home  here,  wherever  we 
may  have  been  born  ;  this  is  our  country,  as  it  is  to  become 
thoroughly  Catholic,  we  have  a  deeper  interest  in  public  affairs 
than  any  other  of  our  citizens.  The  sects  are  only  for  a  day; 
the  Church  forever."  (Brownson's  Review.) 

It  is  not  by  mere  accident  that  Papists  throughout 
the  land  act  in  concert,  and  vote  together.  And  for  the 
benefit  of  ill-informed  and  unsuspecting  Protestants  who 
imagine  that  Roman  priests  "  never  meddle  with  pol- 
itics," we  insert  the  following  facts  : 

"In  Michigan,  the  Bishop  Richard,  a  Jesuit  (since  deceased), 
was  several  times  chosen  delegate  to  Congress  from  the  terri- 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  199 

tory,  the  majority  of  the  people  being  Catholics.  As  Protest- 
ants became  more  numerous,  the  contest  between  the  bishop 
and  his  Protestant  rival  was 'more  and  more  close,  until  at 
length,  by  the  increase  of  Protestant  emigration,  the  latter  tri- 
umphed. The  bishop,  in  order  to  detect  any  delinquency  in. 
his  flock  at  the  polls,  had  his  ticket  printed  on  colored  paper. 
Whether  any -were  so  mutinous  as  not  to  vote  according  to  or- 
ders, or  what  penance  was  inflicted  for  disobedience,  I  did  not 
learn.  The  fact  of  such  a  truly  Jesuitical  mode  of  espionage  I 
have  from  a  gentleman  resident  at  that  time  in  Detroit.  Is 
not  a  fact  like  this  of  some  importance?  Does  it  not  show^ 
that  Popery,  with  all  its  speciousness,  is  the  same  here  as  else- 
where? It  manifests,  when  it  lias  the  opportunity,  its  genuine 
disposition  to  use  spiritual  power  for  the  promotion  of  its  tem- 
poral ambition.  It  uses  its  ecclesiastical  weapons  to  control  an 
election. 

"In  Charleston,  S.  C.,  the  Eoman  Catholic  Bishop,  England, 
is  said  to  have  boasted  of  the  number  of  votes  that  he  could 
control  at  an  election.  I  have  been  informed,  on  authority 
which  can  not  be  doubted,  (hat  in  New  York,  a  priest,  in  a  late 
election  for  city  officers,  stopped  his  congregation  after  mass 
on  Sunday,  and  urged  the  electors  not  to  vote  for  a  particular 
candidate,  on  the  ground  of  his  being  an  anti-Catholic;  the 
result  was  the  election  of  the  Catholic  candidate."  (Foreign 
Conspiracy,  by  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  A.  M.,  pp.  93,  94.) 

The  following  extract,  from  the  pen  of  0.  A.  Brown- 
son,  the  great  champion  of  Romanism,  in  the  Quarterly 
Review,  of  1845,  speaks  with  the  approbation  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  bishops,  as  follows  : 

"But  would  you  have  this  country  under  the  authority  of 
the  Pope?  Why  not?  'But  the  Pope  would  take  away  our 
free  institutions!'  Nonsense.  But  how  do  you  know  that? 
From  what  do  you  infer  it?  After  all,  do  you  not  commit  a 
slight  blunder?  Are  your  free  institutions  infallible?  Are 
they  founded  on  divine  right?  This  you  deny.  Is  not  the 
proper  question  for  you  to  discuss,  tl/cn,  not  whether  the  Pa- 
pacy be  or  be  not  compatible  with  republican  government,  but 


200  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED.      , 

whether  it  be  'or  be  not  founded  in  divine  right?  If  the  Pa- 
pacy be  founded  in  divine  right,  it  is  supreme  over  whatever 
is  founded  only  in  human  right,  and  then  your  institutions 
should  be  made  to  harmonize  with  it,  not  it  with  your  institu- 
tions. The  real  question,  then,  is,  not  the  compatibility  or  in- 
compatibility of  the  Catholic  Church  with  democratic  insti- 
tutions, but,  is  the  Catholic  Church  the  Church  of  God?  Set- 
tle this  question  first.  But,  in  point  of  fact,  democracy  is  a 
mischievous  dream,  wherever  the  Catholic  Church  does  not 
predominate  to  inspire  the  people  with  reverence,  and  to  teach 
and  accustom  them  to  obedience,  to  authority.  The  first  lesson 
for  all  to  learn,  the  last  that  should  be  forgotten,  is,  to  obey. 
You  can  have  no  government  where  there  is  no  obedience; 
and  obedience  to  law,  as  it  is  called,  will  not  long  be  enforced 
where  the  fallibility  of  law  is  clearly  seen  and  freely  admitted. 
But  'it  is  the  intention  of  the  Pope  to  possess  this  country?' 
Undoubted!}'.  'In  this  intention  he  is  aided  by  the  Jesuits 
and  all  the  Catholic  prelates  and  priests,'  undoubtedly,  if 
they  are  faithful  to  their  religion." 

"  That  the  policy  of  the  Church  is  dreaded  and  opposed, 
and  must  be  dreaded  and  opposed  by  all  Protestants,  infidels, 
demagogues,  tyrants  and  oppressors,  is  also  unquestionably 
true.  Save,  then,  in  the  discharge  of  our  civil  duties,  and  in 
the  ordinary  business  of  life,  there  is,  and  can  be,  no  harmony 
between  Catholics  and  Protestants." 

This  language  can  not  be  misunderstood.  Brownson 
speaks  with  the  full  indorsement  of  twenty-four  Roman 
bishops  in  America. 

The  Freeman's  Journal  says  : 

"Irishmen  learn  in  America  to  bide  their  time;  year  by 
year  the  United  States  and  England  touch  each  other  more 
powerful  in  America.  At  length  the  propitious  time  will 
come — some  accidental,  sudden  collision,  and  a  Presidential 
campaign  at  hand.  They  will  want  to  buy  the  Irish  vote,  and 
we  will  tell  them  how  they  can  buy  it  in  a  lump,  from  Maine 
to  California — by  declaring  war  on  Great  Britain,  and  wiping 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  201 

off  at  the  same  time  the  stains  of  concessions  and  dishonor 
that  our  Webstcrs,  and  men  of  this  kind,  have  permitted  to 
be  heaped  on  the  Amei'ican  flag  by  the  violence  of  British 

agents." 

« 

The  Irish  Journal,  of  New  York,  says : 

"  For  every  musket  given  to  the  State  armory,  let  three  be 
purchased  forthwith.  Let  independent  companies  bo  formed, 
thrice  numerous  as  the  disbanded  corps — there  are  no  arms 
acts  here,  yet — and  let  every  '  foreigner '  be  drilled  and  trained 
and  have  his  arms  always  ready.  For  you  may  be  sure  (hav- 
ing some  experience  in  the  matter)  that  those  who  begin  by 
disarming  you,  mean  to  your  mischief.  ...  Be  careful  not 
to  truckle  in  the  smallest  particular  to  Amei'ican  prejudices. 
Yield  not  a  single  jot  of  your  own ;  for  you.  have  as  good  a 
right  to  your  prejudices  as  they.  Do  not,  by  any  means,  suf- 
fer Gardner's  Bible  (the  Protestant  Bible)  to  be  thrust  down 
your  throats." 

Americans  (and  Protestants)  pause  and  consider.  Is 
there  nothing  significant  in  the  above?  What  means 
this  hatred  to  the  Bible,  this  instigating  national  and 
sectarian  prejudices,  this  purchasing  muskets,  this  arm- 
ing and  drilling  Irish  independent  companies  with  arms 
always  ready  ?  If  there  are  not  arms  acts  by  which  to 
disarm  and  disband  such  fanatics  there  ought  to  be. 
It  is  an  insult  to  American  citizens  and  Protestants  of 
all  denominations.  And  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  a 
pretext  for  such  treasonable  declarations  or  demonstra- 
tions. Th'ey  are,  in  their  lawful  rights,  protected  as 
other  citizens,  and  if  they  were  not,  there  is  a  remedy 
without  resorting  to  arms  under  the  instigation  of  an 
alien  clergy.  It  certainly  is  time  to  disband  and  disarm 
the  secret  Roman  military  organizations  in  our  midst. 


202  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Brownson  admits  that  hitherto  they  hare  been  act- 
ing the  part  of  fawning  sycophants,  truckling  to  political 
parties.  These  are  not  his  words,  but  these  are  the 
facts,  and  their  object  has  been  to  obtain  position,  power, 
and  financial  aid  to  build  up  and  sustain  Popery.  Now 
they  are  stronger,  and  propose  to  teach  the  country  po- 
litical Romanism.  He  says  to  Romanists  : 

"This  is  our  country,  as  it  is  to  become  thoroughly  Cath- 
olic. We  have  a  deeper  interest  in  the  public  affairs  than  any 
other  citizens.  These  sects  (that  is,  Methodists,  Baptists,  Pres- 
byterians, etc.)  are  only  for  a  day;  the  Church  (that  is,  the  Ro- 
man sect)  forever." 

This  language  is  plain  and  unequivocal,  and  ought  to 
be  sufficient  to  define  their  plans  and  purposes. 

Another  illustration  of  the  plans  and  expectations  of 
Romanists  is  contained  in  significant  hints  in  a  recent 
lecture  of  Rev.  Edward  M'Glynn,  a  Roman  clergyman, 
at  the  Cooper  Institute,  New  York.  He  chose,  for  his 
subject,  "  Our  Religious  Destin}r,"  and  in  summing  up 
the  substance  of  his  lecture,  he  said  : 

"This  country  must  become  Catholic,  or  else  our  religious 
history  will  not  be  as  God  designed  it  to  be.  The  Catholic  re- 
ligion is  grand  enough,  hroad  enough,  noble  enough,  wise  and 
prudent  enough,  and  divine  enough  to  bless  and  sanctify  all  the 
countless  energies  and  indomitable  will,  the  ardent  affections 
and  keen  intelligence  of  this  American  nation.  [Applause.] 
He  believed  for  himself  that  the  future  religion  of  this  country 
ought  to  be  Catholic.  Whether  it  will  or  not,  is  another  ques- 
tion. This  is  the  religion  that  is  destined  to  prevail  in  this 
land.  .  .  .  All  other  Churches  are  local  and  national. 
The  Catholic  religion  only  is  a  unity  and*  universal,  and  this 
nation  must  vearn  for  a  religion  that  blesses  and  sanctifies  the 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  203 

Union,  and  teaches  its  people  to  labor  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Union,  and  to  make  the  Union  of  these  States  lasting  and 
perpetual.  [Applause.]  It  is  only  the  Catholic  religion  that 
recommends  and  blesses  unity,  and  gives  additional  ties  to  that 
Union  which  is  an  instinct  of  the  American  heart.  The  Cath- 
olic religion,  therefore,  ought  to  bo  the  religion  of  the  country, 
and,  consequently,  it  must  in  the  future  be  the  religion  of  the 
country;  for  it  is  the  best,  calculated  to  bless  and  sanctify  all 
that  is  noble  in  it,  and  to  bless  and  sanctify  the  glorious  in- 
stinct of  union  which,  next  to  the  love  of  liberty,  is  the  most 
powerful  and  all-controlling  instinct  of  the  American  heart. 
(Boston  Pilot.') 

Here  is  a  genuine  specimen  of  Jesuit  hypocrisy, 
and  an  appeal  to  patriots  under  pretext  of  being  the 
friends  of  common  liberty. 

How  long  has  it  been  since  the  Pope  of  Rome 
crushed  the  Italian  patriots,  and  re-established  the  In- 
quisition in  Rome?  How  long  since  the  Pope  advocated 
a  dissolution  of  this  union  of  States?  How  long  since 
eleven  out  of  thirteen  of  the  Roman  Catholic  papers 
of  the  United  States  were  notoriously  disloyal,  and  the 
Freeman's  Journal  twice  suppressed  for  its  treasonable 
sentiments?  How  long  since  Roman  Catholics  were  en- 
deavoring to  establish  Romanism,  by  Maximilian,  on  the 
ruins  of  liberty  in  Mexico?  How  long  since  the  Fenians, 
aided  by  unscrupulous  demagogues,  were  filibustering  on 
the  Canadian  border,  not  to  promote  liberty  and  union, 
but  to  mature  plans  for  a  permanent  dissolution  of  the 
Union,  and  the  establishment  of  Popery  by  legal  enact- 
ments ? 

In  the  late  troubles  of  our  country,  the  Pope  knew 
that  in  the  North,  through  his  abject  minions,  he  held 


204  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

the  balance  of  power;  and  that,  if  he  could  dissolve  the 
Union,  and  annex  Cuba  and  Mexico,  he  would  hold  the 
balance  of  power  in  the  South.  He  cared  nothing  for 
the  peace  and  harmony  of  this  country,  North  or  South; 
but  he  thought  he  saw  an  opportunity  to  promote  his 
sordid  purposes,  regardless  of  consequences. 

If  the  Pope  and  his  clergy  are  the  friends  of  a  pure 
democratic  republic,  why  do  they  not  manifest  it  in 
Mexico,  Cuba,  Italy,  and  in  other  countries,  where  pa- 
triots are  pining  in  prisons,  or  struggling  in  blood  for 
liberty?  Is  a  professedly  infallible  Church  one  thing  in 
in  Italy  and  another  in  America,  the  friend  of  liberty  here 
and  of  monarchy  there?  Believe  it  who  can,  I  can  not. 

In  the  recent  Fenian  raid  into  Canada,  the  plan 
obviously  contemplated : 

1.  A  severance  of  Canada  from  the  British  Crown. 

2.  A  temporary  confederacy. 

3.  Annexation  to  the  United  States. 

4.  By  annexation  and  emigration,  an  overwhelming 
controlling  power  at  the  ballot-box. 

5.  Gradual  enactments,  to   establish   Romanism  by 
law,  and  enforce  its  observance  under  penalties. 

6.  By  this  gradual  process,  dissolve  all  the  bonds  of 
national  unity,  and  invest  the  Roman  clergy  with  that 
ecclesiastical  and  temporal  power  which  they  have  sacri- 
legiously usurped  over  downtrodden  Italy. 

It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  they  shall  fully  realize 
their  expectations.  Their  purposes  have  been  thwarted, 
which  requires  a  change  in  tactics,  and  a  modification  of 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  205 

their  plans,  so  as  to  identify  themselves  more  fully  with 
the  interests  of  partisans. 

Addressing  the  German  and  Irish  population,  Rev. 
E.  M'Glynn  said : 

"  Americanism  absorbs  us,  and  the  sooner  we  become  Amer- 
icanized the  better.  There  is  no  use  in  fighting  against  fate. 
You  may  hold  out  for  a  while,  claiming  that  you  are  Irish;  but 
your  children  will  be  American,  and  will  glory  in  the  name. 
And  the  sooner  the  Catholic  religion  becomes  Americanized 
the  better.  Catholic  people  have  an  extraordinary  way  of 
propagating  themselves,  and  that  is  a  serious  question  to  take 
into  consideration.  The  country  must  remain  one;  and,  as  it 
is  extending  itself  in  every  direction,  the  question  arises,  How 
will  the  whole  country  be  peopled?  The  wealth  of  thi,s  coun- 
try is  its  population ;  and  there  is  no  religion  like  the  Catholic 
for  spreading  its  population  over  the  earth.  And  that  is  an- 
other fact  showing  that  the  religion  of  the  country  must  be 
Catholic." 

This  is  plain  language,  and  may  be  easily  understood ; 
but  think  of  it — "  Catholic  religion  Americanized!"  A 
wolf  in  sheep's  clothing!  the  devil  transformed  into  an 
angel  of  light! 

A  new  feature  has  recently  developed  itself  as  a  part 
of  the  great  Roman  conspiracy.  It  is  known  as  the 
CATHOLIC  UNION. 

The  following  "Special  Dispatch"  to  the  St.  Louis 
Republican,  as  found  in  that  paper,  November  29,  1871, 
may  shed  light  on  this  subject : 

"New  York,  November  28th. — Thanksgiving-day  will  be  no- 
table in  the  Catholic  Churches  of  this  country  for  one  important 
event,  the  introduction  of  the  Catholic  Union  to  the  public. 
It  will  celebrate  the  day  with  great  pomp  in  St.  Patrick's 


206  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Cathedral,  the  Archbishop  of  New  York,  Dr.  M'Closkey,  par- 
ticipating, and  the  chancellor  of  the  archdiocese,  Father  Pres- 
ton, probably  the  most  eloquent  preacher  of  the  metropolis, 
preaching  the  address.  The  Catholic  Union  is  the  most  im- 
portant confederation  that  the  Catholics  of  this  country  have 
yet  projected.  The  objects  are  the  union  of  Catholics  for  the 
protection  of  the  regents  of  the  Catholic  Church,  especially 
those  of  the  Pope.  Its  special  mission  will  be  to  band  together 
lay  Catholics,  and  to  employ  them  more  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  than  hitherto  has  been  done.  It  is  expected  by  its 
friends  that,  when  the  organization  of  the  union  is  completed, 
the  Catholics  of  this  country  will  attain  that  influence  which 
their  numbers  entitle  them  to,  but  which  they  have  not  yet 
obtained  in  these  States.  The  object  of  the  union  is  not  polit- 
ical, so  far  as  America  is  concerned;  but  it  can  be  readily  seen 
that,  should  any  such  movement  as  the  Know-not!) ing  ever 
threaten  the  privileges  of  Catholic  or  foreign-born  citizens,  this 
body  would  present  an  unbroken  front  which  might  well  awe 
any  persons  proposing  unconstitutional  infringement  of  their 
rights.  This,  however,  is  not  the  object  of  the  organization. 
It  will  co-operate  with  the  Catholic  unions  abroad  in  aiding  the 
Pope  in  his  present  difficulties,  according  to  the  necessities  of 
the  hour.  It  is  expected  that  each  diocese  in  the  country  will 
form  a  circle.  The  circle  in  New  York  is  already  in  active 
operation,  and  includes  the  most  thoughtful  and  influential 
Catholics  in  the  metropolis." 

The  manifest  Jesuit  proclivities  of  the  St.  Louis 
Republican  give  special  significance  to  the  above  commu- 
nication, and  ought  to  awaken  apprehension  on  the  part 
of  all  true  Protestants  and  patriots.  The  following  sug- 
gestive features  of  the  telegram  are  worthy  of  notice: 

1.  "  The  Catholic  Union  is  the  most  important  con- 
federation that  the  Catholics  of  this  country  have  yet 
projected." 

2.  "  The  objects  are  the  union  of  Catholics  for  the 


PAPAL  CONSPIRACY  AIDED.  207 

protection  of  the  regents  of  the  Catholic  Church,  especially 
those  of  the  Pope." 

3.  "  Its  special  mission  will  be  to  band  together  lay 
Catholics,  and  to  employ  them  more  in  the  service  of  the 
Church  than  has  hitherto  been  done." 

4.  "It  is  expected  by  its  friends  that,  when  the  or- 
ganization of  the  union  is  completed,  the  Catholics  of 
this  country  will  attain  that  influence  which  their  num- 
bers entitle  them  to,  but  which  they  have  not  yet  ob- 
tained in  these  States." 

5.  "  It  will  co-operate  with  the  Catholic  unions  abroad 
in  aiding  the  Pope  in  his  present  difficulties,  according  to 
the  necessities  of  the  hour." 

6.  "  It  is  expected  that  each  diocese  in  the  country 
will  form  a  circle,"  etc. 

Here  we  have  the  framework  of  a  secret  political  and 
military  Roman  Catholic  organization,  in  league  with  sim- 
ilar organizations  abroad,  to  aid  the  Pope  of  Rome  to 
crush  the  spirit  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  The  effort 
to  deny  that  it  is  a  political  Roman  Catholic  organization 
exhibits  a  transparent  falsehood,  and  the  conditional 
threat  of  an  "unbroken  front"  (at  the  ballot-box)  dis- 
closes its  true  object. 

The  existence  of  such  an  organization,  composed  of 
Roman  Catholics  who  are  the  subjects  of  an  ecclesiastical 
despot,  under  ecclesiastical  tyrants  who  have  no  common 
interest  with  the  people,  should  awaken  apprehension, 
and  stimulate  Protestants  and  patriots  to  organize  for  the 
maintenance  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 


208  A  UEICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

The  fact  that  Roman  Catholics  have  in  our  midst 
secret  military  organizations,  with  arms  and  ammunition, 
can  not  successfully  be  denied.  The  Fenians  alone  boast 
of  three  hundred  thousand  available  men.  armed  and 
equipped  for  battle.  They  are  not  going  to  Ireland. 
They  would  accomplish  nothing  in  Canada;  and  if  those 
arms  are  ever  used,  they  will  be  used  against  true  patriots 
and  Protestants  in  America,  probably  at  the  ballot-box. 

Slumbering  Americans  awake !  and  organize  on  a  true 
Protestant  basis  for  the  protection  and  perpetuation  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty.  By  the  love  you  bear  to  God, 
to  posterity,  and  your  country's  liberty,  we  again  call 
upon  you  to  awake  and  protect  your  country  against  the 
aggressive  efforts  of  the  enemies  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty;  and  may  the  God  of  truth  and  justice  arm  you 
for  the  contest,  and  crown  your  efforts  with  triumphant 
success. 


ROMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  209 


CHAPTER  XYIH. 

ROMISH    INTOLERANCE   ENFORCED  THROUGH    THE    CON- 
FESSIONAL. 

T)ROPIIECY  and  providence  indicate  the  present  as 
one  of  the  most  eventful  periods  of  the  world's 
history.  Great  principles  are  involved,  great  powers  are 
in  commotion,  great  questions  are  being  solved,  and  great 
results  are  anticipated.  The  nations  of  the  world  are 
in  commotion,  the  rights  of  men  are  the  subject  of  dis- 
pute, and  universal  liberty  or  protracted  despotism  will 
be  the  result.  The  questions  will  soon  be  decisively 
answered,  whether  man  is,  or  is  not,  competent  to  gov- 
ern himself;  whether  Bible  is,  or  is  not,  the  only  infal- 
lible rule  of  faith  and  practice,  whether  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  is,  or  is  not,  adapted  to  the  condition  of  the 
whole  world,  and  whether  its  successful  propagation  is 
to  be  attained  by  the  power  of  God's  love,  or  the  brute 
force  of  man. 

These  adverse  and  conflicting  principles  are  incorpo- 
rated into,  and  form  a  constituent  part  of  two  great  ec- 
clesiastical systems  which  can  not  be  harmonized.  Both 
can  not  be  right,  both  can  not  be  true.  The  triumph  of 
the  one  will  be  destructive  of  the  other.  They  are 
known  and  denominated  as  Romanism  and  Protestantism. 


210  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

If  Romanism  be  true,  Protestantism  is  heresy.  It 
is  more — it  is  what  they  say  of  it,  "damnable  heresy;" 
but  if  Protestantism  be  true,  Romanism  is  a  trinity  of 
superstition,  idolatry,  and  priestcraft.  Now  what  are 
the  facts.  The  Roman  sect  is  the  embodiment  of  eccle- 
siastical intolerance,  and  with  its  principles  the  inon- 
archs  and  despots  of  earth  affiliate.  Protestantism  is 
the  reverse  of  all  this.  It  is  the  living  embodiment  of 
the  great  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  predi- 
cated upon  the  rights  of  men,  in  conformity  to  the  prin- 
ciples of  justice  and  the  word  of  God.  Protestantism 
recognizes  civil  and  religious  liberty  as  among  the  dear- 
est of  man's  inalienable  rights.  It  regards  them  as  in- 
wrought in  the  constitution  of  man  by  the  Creator.  It 
permits  man  the  use  of  reason,  the  light  of  revelation, 
and  makes  him  socially,  civilly,  and  morally,  what  he 
was  intended  to  be — the  arbiter  of  his  own  destiny, 
amenable  to  God  and  the  just  enactment  of  man,  wisely 
instituted  for  the  regulation  of  society. 

Protestantism  and  a  free  democratic  republic  are  mu- 
tually independent  of  each  other,  and  yet  harmonize, 
and  each  contributes  to  the  strength  of  the  other.  Their 
spheres  of  action  are  entirely  different,  yet  they  are 
destined  to  stand  or  fall  together.  Man  can  only  wor- 
ship God  in  spirit  and  in  truth  when  he  expresses  his 
unrestrained  volition;  and  unrestrained  volition  can  only 
be  exercised  under  a  free,  tolerant  government.  It 
therefore  becomes  a  matter  of  necessity,  involving  the 
destiny  of  men,  that  national  and  individual  liberty  be 


EOMISII  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  211 

maintained,  and  that  the  Church  and  State  exercise 
their  powers  and  privileges  independent  of  each 
other. 

The  Roman  sect  regards  the  Church  as  supreme,  and 
the  authorities  of  the  State  subordinate  to  the  dictation 
of  ecclesiastical  rulers,  who  govern  by  divine  right. 
These  two  systems  are  inherently  antagonistic.  A  fear- 
ful and  final  conflict  between  them  is  inevitable.  The 
martial  hosts  are  gathering  to  the  great  battle,  and 
Providence  points,  as  with  the  finger  of  destiny,  to  the 
Western  Valley  as  the  culminating  point  at  which  the 
combined  forces  will  concentrate  their  energies.  Here, 
in  the  great  West,  the  hottest  of  earth's  "battles  is 
to  be  fought,  the  greatest  of  earth's  victories  to  be 
achieved.  We  do  not  regard  it  as  a  war  of  words,  or 
as  a  conflict  of  opinion  only,  but  of  great  principles, 
involving  the  destiny  of  millions,  for  time  and  for 
eternity. 

The  conflict  has  commenced  in  words ;  it  may  end 
in  blood;  and  is  certainly  time  for  Protestants  to  awake 
from  their  long  slumber,  and  cast  an  eager  eye  around 
to  discern  the  signs  of  the  times.  It  certainly  is  time 
that  Protestants  should  seriously  consider  what  would 
be  the  consequences  if  Romanism  should  gain  the 
ascendency  in  this  country,  as  they  boast  they  will. 
We  have  seen  that  a  great  Roman  conspiracy  is  formed 
to  destroy  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

By  reference  to  the  files  of  the  Shepherd  of  the  Val- 
ley, November  1851,  and  published  in  St.  Louis,  with 


212  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

the  approbation  of  the  Archbishop,  we  have  the  follow- 
ing significant  Language : 

"The  Church  is  of  necessity  intolerant.  Heresy  she  endures 
when  and  where  she  must;  but  she  hates  it,  and  directs  all  her 
energies  to  its  destruction.  If  Catholics  ever  gain  an  immense 
numerical  majority,  religious  freedom  in  this  country  is  at  an 
end.  So  our  enemies  say ;  so  we  believe." 

"Heresj'  and  unbelief  are  CRIMES;  that  is  the  whole  of  the 
matter.  And  in  Christian  countries,  as  in  Italy  and  Spain,  for 
instance,  where  all  the  people  are  Catholics,  and  where  the 
Catholic  religion  is  an  essential  part  of  the  law  of  the  land, 
they  will  be  punished  as  other  crimes." 

These  sentiments  were  not  indorsed  by  .1  secular  pa- 
per then  published  in  St.  Louis,  to  which  the  bishop's 
organ  replied : 

"Amongst  our  Catholic  contemporaries,  the  Catholic  Herald 
was  almost  alone  in  its  strictures :  other*,  as  the  Pilot,  copied 
our  article  and  indorsed  what  we  said.  The  character  of  our 
journal  was  not  called  in  question;  and  no  editor,  we  think, 
has  ever  ventured  to  make  our  own  character  the  subject  of 
debate.  We  told  the  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth;  and  it 
is  not  fair  to  sacrifice  us  to  the  prejudices  of  ill-instructed  and 
timid  Catholics,  or  of  heretics  whose  delicate  nerves  a  bold  state- 
ment of  Catholic  doctrine  may  happen  to  shock." 

These  sentiments  of  the  bishop  are  fully  indorsed  by 
other  distinguished  Romish  ecclesiastics  on  this  continent. 

According  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  all  Protestants  are  heretics,  and  all  heretics 
ought  to  be  put  to  death,  their  property  confiscated  and 
turned  over  to  those  who  will  put  them  to  death,  and 
hold  it  for  the  true  Church. 

This  is  as  truly  the  doctrine  of  the  Roman  Catholic 


ROMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  213 

Church  to-day  in  America,  as  it  was  in  Spain  when  the 
Inquisition  was  successfully  employed  to  exterminate 
heretics.  The  difference  is,  this  is  yet  a  Protestant 
country,  and  that  was  a  Catholic  country.  This  permits 
the  liberty  of  conscience,  that  did  not.  The  intolerant 
doctrines  of  the  Church  are  not  changed  in  the  smallest 
degree  for  the  better.  We  have  before  us  the  "Moral 
Theology"  of  St.  Liguori,  published  in  1846,  Peter  Dens,, 
bearing  date  1864,  and  St.  Thomas,  published  in  1870, 
and  which  teach,  in  the  clearest  possible  terms,  that 
heretics  ought  to  be  put  to  death.  These  are  secret 
books  of  the  Roman  clergy  in  our  midst,  and  the  guide 
of  the  clergy  in  the  confessional  and  other  duties. 
Peter  Dens  says : 

"Notorious  heretics  are  infamous  of  course,  and  are  deprived 
of  ecclesiastical  burial. 

"Their  temporal  goods  are,  of  course,  confiscated:  yet  a  de- 
claratory opinion  concerning  the  crime  from  the  ecclesiastical 
judge,  ought  to  precede  the  execution:  because. the  cognizance 
of  heresy  belongs  to  the  ecclesiastical  court." 

"  Finally,  they  are  deservedly  visited  with  other  penalties, 
even  corporal,  as  exile,  imprisonment,"  etc, 

"Are  heretics  rightly  punished  with  DEATH?  St.  Thomas 
answers  IN  THE  AFFIRMATIVE.  Because  forgers  of  money,  or 
other  disturbers  of  the  State,  are  justly  punished  with  death; 
therefore  also  heretics,  who  are  forgers  of  the  faith,  and  as  ex- 
perience shows,  greatly  disturb  the  State.  .  .  .  This  is  con- 
firmed by  the  command  of  God  under  the  old  law,  that  the 
false  prophets  should  be  killed.  .  .  .  The  same  is  proved 
by  the  condemnation — by  the  fourteenth  article — of  John  Huss 
in  the  council  of  Constance." 

In  a  recent  suit  in  court,  in  Kankakee  City,  Illinois, 
between  Rev.  Charles  Chenequy  and  Bishop  Foley,  of 


214  A  URICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

Chicago,  these  facts  were  brought  out  in  a  damaging 
way.  Rev.  Mr.  Chenequy  had  been  a  French  priest,  but 
renounced  Romanism  and  retained  his  congregation  and 
Church  property.  The  bishop  brought  suit  to  dispossess 
him  and  the  congregation  of  the  property.  The  bishop 
was  required  to  testify  under  oath,  which  he  did  re- 
luctantly. 

With  the  "Moral  Theology"  of  St.  Liguori  and  St. 
Thomas  in  his  hands,  he  certified  that  they  were  of  the 
highest  authority  in  his  Church  on  both  continents,  used 
in  their  colleges  and  universities,  and  had  never  been 
repealed. 

Then  the  bishop  was  requested  to  read  in  Latin,  and 
translate  into  English,  the  following  laAVs  and  fundamental 
principles  of  action  against  the  heretics,  as  explained  by 
St.  Liguori  and  St.  Thomas : 

READ  BY  THE  BISHOP.  TRANSLATED  BY  THE  BISHOP. 

"Excommunicatus  privatur  "An  excommunicated  man 

omni  alia  civili  communica-  is  deprived  of  all  civil  commu- 

tione  fidelium,  ita  ut  ipse  non  nication  with  the  faithful,  in 

possit  cum  aliis,  et.-si  non  sit  such  a  way  that  if  he  is  not 

tolerates,  etiam  alii  cum  ipso  tolerated  they  can  have  no 

non  possint  communicare;  id-  communication  with  him,  as  it 

que  in  eassibus  hoc  versu  com-  is  in  the  following  verse:  'It 

prehensis:  Os,  oi-are,  vale,  com-  is  forbidden  to  kiss  him,  pray 

munio,  mensa  negatur."  (St.  with  him,  salute  him,  to  eat 

Liguori,  torn.  9,  162.)  or  to  do  any  business  with 

him.'"  (St.  Liguori,  vol.  9, 
p.  162.) 

"Quanquam  hcretici  toler-  "Though  heretics  must  not 

andi  non  sunt  ipso  illorum  de-  be  tolerated  because  they  de- 

merito,  usque  tamen  ad  secun-  serve  it,  we  must  bear  them 

dem  correctioncm  expectandi  till,  by  a  second  admonition, 


ROMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED. 


215 


sunt,  ut  ad  sanam  redeant  ee- 
clesise  fidem ;  qui  vero,  post 
secundam  correctionem,  in  suo 
erroroobstinati  permanent,  non 
modo  cxcominunicationis  sen- 
ten  tia,  sed  etiam  srocularibus 
principibus  exterminandi,  tra 
dendi  sunt."  (St.  Tomaso,  torn. 
4,  91.) 

"  Quanquam  heretici  rever- 
tentes,  semper  recipiendi  sint 
ad  p£enitentiam  quoties  cumque 
relapsi  fuerint;  non  tamen  sem- 
per sunt  recipiendi  et  restitu- 
endi  ad  bonorum  hujus  vitse 
participationem  .  .  .  recip- 
iuntur  ad  psenitcntiam  .  .  . 
non  tamen  ut  liberentur  a  sen- 
tentia  mortis."  (St.  Tomaso, 
torn.  4,  91.) 

"Quum  quis  sententiam  de- 
nuntiatur  propter  apostasiam 
excommunieatus,  ipso  facto, 
ejus  subditi  a  dominio  et  jura- 
mento  fidelitatis  ejus  liberati 
sunt."  (St.  Tomaso,  torn.  4. 94.) 


they  may  be  brought  back  to 
the  fjiith  of  the  Church.  But 
those  who,  after  a  second  ad- 
monition, remain  obstinate  in 
their  errors,  must  not  only  be 
cxcomm  unicated,  but  they  must 
be  delivered  to  the  secular 
power,  to  be  exterminated." 
(St.  Thomas,  vol.  4,  p.  91.) 

"Though  the  heretics  who 
repent  must  always  be  ac- 
cepted to  penance  as  often  as 
they  have  fallen,  they  must  not, 
in  consequence  of  that,  always 
be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  ben- 
efits of  this  life.  .  .  .  When 
the}r  fall  again,  they  are  ad- 
mitted to  repent  .  .  .  but 
the  sentence  of  death  must  not 
be,  removed."  (St.  Thomas, 
vol.  4,  p.  91.) 

""When  a  man  is  excommu- 
nicated for  his  apostasy,  it  fol- 
lows from  that  very  fact  that 
all  those  who  are  his  subjects 
are  released  from  the  oath  of 
allegiance  by  which  they  were 
bound  to  obey  him."  (St. 
Thomas,  vol.  4,  p.  94.) 


The  next  document  of  the  Church  of  Rome  brought 
before  the  Court  was  the  Act  of  the  Council  of  Lateran, 
A.  D.  1215.  But  as  the  Latin  text  is  too  long,  we  will 
give  only  the  translation,  as  it  was  read  under  oath : 


"We  excommunicate  and  anathematize  every  heresy  that 
exalts  itself  against  the  holy,  orthodox,  and  Catholic  faith, 
condemning  all  heretics,  by  whatever  name  they  may  be 


2 1 G  A  UE1CULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

known  ;  for,  though  their  faces  differ,  they  are  tied  together 
by  their  tails.  Such  as  are  condemned  are  to  be  delivered 
over  to  the  existing  secular  powers,  to  receive  due  punish- 
ment. If  laymen,  their  goods  must  be  confiscated.  If  priests, 
thej'  shall  be  first  degraded  from  their  respective  orders,  and 
their  property  applied  to  the  use  of  the  Church  in  which  they 
have  officiated.  Secular  powers  of  all  ranks  and  degrees  are 
to  be  warned,  induced,  and,  if  necessary,  compelled,  by  ecclesi- 
astical censures,  to  swear  that  they  will  exert  themselves  to 
the  utmost  in  the  defense  of  the  faith,  and  extirpate  all  heretics 
denounced  by  the  Church  who  shall  be  found  in  their  terri- 
tories. And  whenever  any  person  shall  assume  goverment, 
•whether  it  be  spiritual  or  temporal,  he  shall  be  bound  to  abide 
by  this  decree. 

"If  any  temporal  lord,  after  having  been  admonished  and 
required  by  the  Church,  shall  neglect  to  clear  his  territory  of 
heretical  depravity,  the  metropolitan  and  the  bishops  of  the 
province  shall  unite  in  excommunicating  him.  Should  he  re- 
main contumacious  a  whole  year,  the  fact  shall  be  signified  to 
the  supreme  pontiff,  who  will  declare  his  vassals  released  from 
their  allegiance  from  that  time,  and  will  bestow  his  territory 
on  Catholics,  to  be  occupied  by  them,  on  the  condition  of 
exterminating  the  heretics  and  preserving  the  said  territory 
in  the  faith. 

"  Catholics  who  shall  assume  the  cross  for  the  extermination 
of  heretics  shall  enjoy  the  same  indulgences,  and  be  protected 
by  the  same  privileges,  as  are  granted  to  those  who  go  to  the 
help  of  the  Holy  Land.  "We  decree  further,  that  all  who  may 
have  dealings  with  heretics,  and  especially  such  as  receive,  de- 
fend, or  encourage  them,  shall  be  excommunicated.  He  shall 
not  be  eligible  to  any  public  office.  He  shall  not  be  admitted 
as  a  witness.  He  shall  neither  have  the  power  to  bequeath 
his  property  by  will  nor  to  succeed  to  an}-  inheritance.  He 
shall  not  bring  any  action  against  any  person,  but  any  one  can 
bring  an  action  against  him.  Should  he  be  a  judge,  his  decision 
shall  have  no  force,  nor  shall  any  cause  be  brought  before  him. 
Should  he  be  an  advocate,  he  shall  not  be  allowed  to  plead. 
Should  he  be  a  lawyer,  no  instruments  made  by  him  shall  be 
held  valid,  but  shall  be  condemned,  with  their  author." 


ROMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  217 

The  Roman  Catholic  bishop  swore  that  these  laws 
had  never  been  repealed,  and,  of  course,  that  they  were 
still  the  laws  of  his  Church.  He  had  to  swear  that, 
every  year,  he  was  bound,  under  pain  of  eternal  damna- 
tion, to  say  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  to  read  in  his 
Breviarium  (prayer-book),  that  "God  himself  had  in- 
spired" what  St.  Thomas  had  written  about  the  manner 
in  which  the  heretics  should  be  treated  by  the  Roman 
Catholics. 

With  an  alien  priesthood  under  a  professedly  infalli- 
ble Pope,  and  with  a  system  of  intolerant  theology  con- 
trolling a  deluded  and  fanatical  people  by  promises  of 
heaven  and  threats  of  hell,  where  is  there  national  or 
individual  security? 

Let  the  fact  be  impressed  deeply  in  the  mind  of 
every  patriot,  that  these  intolerant  doctrines  are  now  in- 
culcated all  over  this  land  in  the  highest  theology  of  the 
Roman  Church ;  and  we  have  the  original  Latin  theology 
to  prove  it,  and  defiantly  challenge  the  Roman  clergy  to 
deny  or  disprove  the  facts. 

Boniface  VIII  is  numbered  in  the  list  of  popes 
through  whom  Pope  Pius  IX  received  his  infallibility. 
He  declared,  in  his  "  Unam  Sane  tarn  :" 

"Uterque   est  in   potestate  "Either    sword     is    in    the 

ecclesiso,      spiritualis      scilicet  power  of  the  Church;  that  is 

gladius   et   materialis.     Sed  is  to  say,  the  spiritual   and   the 

quidem  pro   ecclesia,  ille  vero  material.     The  former  is  to  be 

ab    ecclesia    exerceridus ;     ille  used    by  the  Church,  but  the 

sacerdotis,  in  manu  regum  ac  latter  for  the  Church:  the  one 

militum,  SED  AD  NUTUM  ET  TA-  in  the  hand  of  the  priest,  the 


218  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

TENTIAM  SACERDOTIS.     Oportet  other  in  the  hand  of  kings  and 

autem  gladium  esse  subgladio,  soldiers,  but  AT  THE  WILL  AND 

et    temporalem     auctoritatem  PLEASURE  OF  THE  PRIEST.    It  is 

spiritual!       subjici       potestati.  right  that  the  temporal  sword 

PORRO  SUBESSE  ROMANO  PONTIP-  and  authority  be  subject  to  tho 

ici    OMNI    HUMANE    CREATURE  spiritual    power.      MOREOVER, 

DECLARAMUS,  DICIMUS,  DEFINI-  WE  DECLARE,  SAY,  DEFINE,  AND 
MUS,  ET  PRONUNCIAMUS  OMNINO  PRONOUNCE  THAT  EVERY  BEING 
ESSE  DE  NECESSITATE  FIDEI."  SHOULD  BE  SUBJECT  TO  THE  Ro- 

MAN  PONTIFF,  TO  BE  AN  ARTICLE 
OF  NECESSARY   FAITH." 

At  least  six  of  the  highest  judicial  councils  of  the 
Romish  Church,  with  the  Pope  at  their  head,  have  sol- 
emnly enjoined  the  persecution  and  extermination  of 
heretics. 

The  duty  of  putting  heretics  to  death,  is  among  the 
infallible  and  irrevocable  decrees  of  its  General  Coun- 
cils, and  has  been  indorsed  by  the  Church  as  fully  as 
the  doctrines  of  mass,  purgatory,  etc. 

"No  computation  can  reach  the  numbers  who  have  been  put 
to  death,  in  different  ways,  on  account  of  their  maintaining  the 
profession  of  the  Gospel,  and  opposing  the  corruptions  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  A  MILLION  of  poor  "Waldenses  perished  in 
France;  NINE  HUNDRED  THOUSAND  orthodox  Christians  were 
slain  in  less  than  thirty  j'ears  after  the  institution  of  the  order 
of  the  Jesuits.  The  Duke  of  Alva  boasted  of  having  put  to 
death  in  the  Netherlands,  THIRTY-SIX  THOUSAND  by  the  hand  of 
the  common  executioner  during  the  space  of  a  few  years.  The 
Inquisition  destroyed,  by  various  tortures,  ONE  HUNDRED  AND 
FIFTY  THOUSAND  within  thirty  y ears.  These  are  a  few  speci- 
mens, and  but  a  few,  of  those  which  history  has  recorded  ;  but 
the  total  amount  will  never  be  known  till  the  earth  shall  dis- 
close her  blood,  and  no  more  cover  her  slain."  (Scott's  Church 
History.) 


'EOMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  219 

"A  heretic,  examined  and  convicted  by  the  Church,  used  to 
bo  delivered  over  to  the  secular  power,  and  punished  with 
death.  Nothing  has  ever  appeared  to  us  more  necessary. 
More  than  one  hundred  thousand  persons  perished  in  conse- 
quence of  the  heresy  of  Wyclif,  a  still  greater  number  for  that 
of  John  Huss,  and  it  would  not  be  possible  to  calculate  tho 
bloodshed  caused  by  Luther;  and  it  is  not  yet  over."  (Paris 
Univers.) 

"No  good  government  can  exist  without  religion;  and  there 
can  be  no  religion  without  an  Inquisition,  which  is  wisely 
designed  for  the  promotion  and  protection  of  true  faith." 
(Boston  Pilot.) 

The  Pittsburg  Catholic,  alluding  to  the  suppression  of 
the  Protestant  Chapel  at  Rome,  in  1848,  says : 

"For  our  own  part,  we  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing 
our  hearty  delight  at  the  suppression  of  the  Protestant  Chapel 
at  Rome.  This  may  be  thought  intolerant;  but  when,  we 
would  ask,  did  we  ever  profess  to  be  tolerant  of  Protestantism, 
or  favor  the  doctrine  that  Protestantism  ought  to  be  tolerated? 
On  the  contrary,  we  hate  Protestantism;  we  detest  it  with  our 
whole  heart  and  soul,  and  we  pray  that  our  aversion  to  it  may 
never  decrease.  We  hold  it  meet  that  in  the  Eternal  City  no 
worship  repugnant  to  God  should  be  tolerated,  and  we  are 
sincerely  glad  that  the  enemies  of  truth  are  no  longer  allowed 
to  meet  together  in  the  capital  of  the  Christian  world." 

"  Protestantism  of  every  form  has  not,  and  never  can  have, 
any  rights  where  Catholicity  is  triumphant."  (Brownson's 
Quarterly  Review.) 

"You  ask  if  he  [the  Pope]  were  lord  of  the  land,  and  you 
were  in  a  minority,  if  not  in  mimbcrs,  yet  in  power,  what 
would  he  do  to  you?  That,  we  say,  would  depend  on  circum- 
stances. If  it  would  benefit  the  cause  of  Catholicism,  he  would 
tolerate  you;  if  expedient,  he  would  imprison  you,  banish  you, 
fine  you — possibty,  he  might  even  hang  you;  but  be  assured 
of  one  thing,  he  would  never  tolerate  you  for  the  sake  of  the 
'glorious  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.'"  (Rambler.) 


220  AURICULAR  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

"The  sorriest  sight  to  us  is  a  Catholic  throwing  up  his  cap 
and  shouting,  'All  hail,  democracy."'  (Brownson's  Review, 
October,  1851 ;  pp.  555,  558.) 

These  extracts  might  be  greatly  multiplied;  but,  by 
common  consent,  actions  speak  louder  than  words. 

It  is  estimated  by  credible  historians,  that,  since  the 
birth  of  Popery  in  606,  Rome  has  slaughtered,  for  the 
crime  of  heresy,  by  Popish  persecutors,  an  average  of 
more  than  FORTY  THOUSAND  of  the  human  family  for 
every  year  of  its  existence. 

The  average  number  of  victims  yearly  was  much 
greater  during  the  dark  ages,  when  Popery  was  in  her 
glory,  and  reigned  despot  of  the  world ;  when,  by  the 
terrors  of  excommunication  and  interdiction,  she  com- 
pelled princes  to  butcher  their  heretical  subjects. 

Before  dismissing  this  subject,  pause,  and  ask  your- 
self: Did  the  Prince  of  Peace  descend  to  earth  to  estab- 
lish a  civil  despotism  ?  Is  the  God  of  love  the  author 
of  religious  intolerance  ?  Did  he  who  wept  at  the  grave 
of  Lazarus  sanction  the  spirit  of  the  Inquisition  ?  Did 
he  who  prayed  for  his  enemies,  when  expiring  on  the 
cross,  institute  the  flames  of  auto-da-fe?  Did  he  who 
said,  "  Suffer  little  children  and  forbid  them  not  to  come 
unto  me,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  require 
that  their  sleeping  dust,  when  bereft  of  the  spirit,  should 
only  find  a  grave  in  the  potter's-field  ?  Did  he  who  said. 
"I  am  the  way,  I  am  the  door,  I  am  the  good  shepherd, 
I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,"  transfer  his  power  and 
authority  over  the  way  of  life  and  destiny  of  immortal 


ROMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  221 

souls,  to  murderers  and  assassins?  Believe  it  who  can. 
I  could  sooner  believe  that  wolves  had  been  divinely 
appointed  shepherds,  and  hyenas  the  protectors  of  helpless 
infancy.  I  could  as  soon  believe  that  devils  Had  become 
intercessors,  and  hell  had  been  translated  to  paradise. 

In  view  of  past  history,  the  intolerant  spirit  of 
Popery,  the  efforts  Romanists  are  making  to  subvert  this 
Government,  and  their  avowed  plans  and  purposes  to  de- 
stroy civil  and  religious  liberty,  we  again  appeal  to  Chris- 
tians and  patriots  to  awake  and  prepare  for  the  conflict. 

We  especially  appeal  to  ministers,  who  stand  as 
watchmen,  can  "  ye  not  discern  the  signs  of  the  times  ?" 
Shall  the  voice  of  prophecy  and  providence  be  unheeded? 
Shall  the  sword  come  and  the  people  be  not  warned. 

Brethren  of  the  ministry,  of  all  Protestant  Churches, 
permit  me  to  appeal  to  you,  by  the  love  you  bear  to 
your  country,  to  posterity,  to  the  souls  of  men,  to  the 
Bible,  to  the  Church,  and  to  God.  Lift  your  warning 
voice  ngainst  the  aggressions  of  Popery !  Rally  the  sac- 
ramental hosts  in  defense  of  the  Bible,  in  defense  of  free- 
schools,  in  defense  of  virtue,  in  defense  of  liberty,  and 
in  defense  of  that  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints; 
and  may  God  Almighty  help  you  ! 

Closing  the  volume,  we  address  to  all  true  patriots  a 

WARNING    VOICE. 

Romanism  and  Christianity  are  antagonistic.  Be- 
tween them  there  is,  of  necessity,  an  irrepressible  con- 
flict. This  conflict  is  destined  to  be  the  great  conflict 


222  AURICULAR  COXFESSIOX  EXPOSED. 

of  the  nineteenth  century.  Prophecy  and  providence 
indicate  that  the  present  generation  will  be  required  to 
assume  fearful  responsibilities.  Whatever  may  be  the 
great  revolutions  or  changes  in  society,  they  will  ulti- 
mately merge  into  one  final  struggle  between  Truth  and 
Error,  Light  and  Darkness,  Liberty  and  Despotism, 
Christ  and  Antichrist. 

In  America,  Rome  is  making  vigorous  efforts  to 
regain  her  lost  power.  Her  plan  embraces  the  entire 
Western  Continent.  Her  chosen  field  for  special  effort 
is  North  America;  her  center  of  operation,  the  North- 
western States  and  Canada. 

Her  plans  have  special  reference  to  emigration,  edu- 
cation, and  an  aggressive  effort  among  the  Indian  and 
colored  population.  Her  efforts  are  systematically  di- 
rected against  the  Protestant  Bible.  Free  Schools,  and  a 
Democratic  Republic.  In  this,  Rome  is  aided  by  the 
Austrian  and  other  despotic  powers.  A  storm  is  gather- 
ing— dark  clouds  environ  our  horizon  ;  the  Sun  of  Liberty 
sheds  a  feeble  ray,  while  many  Christians  and  patriots 
seem  to  apprehend  no  danger. 

The  conflicts  of  party  spirit  are  not  the  healthful 
concussion  of  jealous  libert}';  but  the  paroxysms  of 
envy,  ambition,  and  deadly  hate.  Not  the  breath  of  the 
zephyr,  nor  the  gentle  undulations  of  the  lake  to  prevent 
stagnation,  but  the  perilous  commotion  of  powerful 
elements. 

The  stronghold  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  is  in 
North  America. 


ROMISH  INTOLERANCE  ENFORCED.  223 

Organized  despotism,  at  home  and  abroad,  is  jealous 
of  our  civil  and  religious  liberty.  The  American  Re- 
public must  be  crushed,  or  the  nations  must  be  free. 
Protestantism  must  be  exterminated,  or  Romish  priest- 
craft will  lose  its  power.  Protestantism  rocked  the 
cradle  of  our  liberties,  defended  our  youth,  and  brought 
us  up  to  noble  manhood.  Protestant  Christianity  is  the 
guardian  angel  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  In  it,  our 
hope  is  anchored;  without  it,  our  destruction  slum- 
bers not. 

God  gave  this  country  to  our  fathers  as  a  Protestant 
land,  in  which  to  erect  the  Temple  of  Liberty.  The 
Herculean  work  has  been  accomplished,  and  the  temple 
stands,  a  monument  of  national  glory,  defying  the  earth- 
quake and  the  tempest.  Upon  its  towering  dome,  which 
penetrates  the  skies,  is  inscribed  to  its  Author,  in  letters 
of  light : 

"  Thy  wisdom  inspired  the  great  institution, 

Thy  strength  shall  support  till  nature  expire; 
And,  when  creation  shall  fall  into  ruin, 

Its  beauty  shall  rise  through  the  mist  of  the  fire." 

Let  not  this  glorious  temple  be  defiled  by  sacrilegious 
hands.  Let  not  its  sacred  shrines  be  trampled  by  the 
foot  of  despotism.  Let  it  never  be  forgotten,  that 
"ETERNAL  VIGILANCE  is  THE  PRICE  OF  LIBERTY." 

Under  these  impressions  we  write;  and  at  the  risk 
of  being  traduced  and  persecuted  by  Romanists,  de- 
nounced by  partisan  demagogues,  and  sneered  at  by 
pseudo-Protestants,  the  truth  has  been,  and  shall  be, 


224  AURICULAE  CONFESSION  EXPOSED. 

spoken  in  plain  language,  for  which  no  apology  is  offered, 
or  eulogy  asked. 

And  while  AVC  appeal  to  Christians  and  patriots  for 
aid  and  co-operation  in  our  great  work,  we  would  say 
to  each : 

Guard  well  your  sacred  trust;  transmit  to  posterity 
that  civil  and  religious  liberty  which  was  purchased  by 
the  blood  oT  your  fathers;  and  when,  by  the  Great 
Architect,  you  shall  be  called  from  labor  to  refreshment, 
let  generations  coming  after  inscribe  to  your  memory: 

"  Now,  shout  the  praise  of  those 
Who  triumphed  o'er  the  foes 
Of  God  and  Liberty !" 


THE   END. 


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